Magical Theory
by Helix-Heartstone
Summary: Kit was born innocent. She didn't deserve the hand she was dealt, nor did the other children of T.I.X. "You live as a Soldier or die as cannon-fodder" are the words they were raised by. Kit will challenge everything and through mistakes, suffering, and pain, she will survive. OC, no pairing, slow start, M for dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there, welcome to Magical Theory. This fic was based on the idea that Voldemort wanted more dangerous weapons against wizard kind than just dark wizards. Thus the experiments of TIX were born. These are OC characters so keep that in mind if it isn't your thing. I ask you to take this story with a pinch of salt, I am not all that nice to my characters. This chapter is meant to be a short taster, future chapters will be much longer, I have more written but felt that the chapter needed to end where it did. So, please enjoy and constructive feedback is very welcome.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no profit from this fic. Everything you see has been borrowed, except Kit and the people of TIX.**

Chapter 1

Kit was woken roughly as the door of her cell vanished and let in the harsh white light of the endless cold corridor.

"Rise and shine Kit, Doctor Patel wants to examine you." Years of this routine and the Doctor's ministrations had given Kit the ability to practically leap out of bed and dress quickly in the dull grey pants and jacket with her name and her experiment number on both the front and the back.

It had been a long time since the Doctors had taken more than a passing interest in her, proven by just how long her hair had grown. She pulled the messy red locks out of the back of her jacket and tugged her equally ruffled, three bushy red tails through the discreet hole under the waistband of her pants.

"I'm ready." Kit quietly told the wizard waiting impatiently for her, she tried not to feel embarrassed at the way his nose wrinkled as her unwashed scent wafted over him.

' _If our smell bothers him so much, then they should give us a way to wash ourselves instead of waiting until one of those infernal Doctors wants to mess around with us_.' Kit had a wilful voice inside her mind that she had named Sun, he offered his opinion, comfort and distractions from her daily misery. Kit struggled not to crack a smile, smiling was insubordinate and was met with a swift reminder of their place in this facility.

Kit was dragged out of her mental musings as she felt the strong pull of magic from behind her, her tails twitched and the ears on top of her head flattened. A black cord attached itself to the red collar that was permanently fixed around her neck. There was a pause from behind her and another low murmur of a spell pinched at her skin. A sudden sweet smell wafted over her and Kit barely contained a shudder.

Magically hyper-sensitive, is what the Doctors called it. Kit physically reacted to the magic around her, her body ached when too much was used in the same room. Thus the Doctors had dubbed her immature and were waiting until she was older and could hopefully adjust more to the ambient magic. After all, what use was a magical beast that couldn't stand magic?

Being physically dragged down the corridor wasn't exactly dignified, but depending on the wizard who took her to the Doctors, it wasn't normally too bad. Sadly, today's walker was a man Kit had nicknamed Birdy. He had thin salt and pepper receding hair that was slicked back and an imposing beak-like nose. He seemed to always be in a hurry and was miserable to boot. Kit had no idea if he enjoyed the cruelty he freely dealt by just how sour his face always looked.

With a harsh tug, Kit stumbled and was dragged down the white, sterile corridor. As she was walked, her eyes couldn't help but fall to the bold lettering on the wall. TIX. The abbreviation for Thaumaturgical Institute of Xenogenetics, in short, a research facility for the creation of a perfect human and magical creature combination.

Stopping at a sealed door, Birdy pushed his wand into a small hole which gave a brief lavender flash and the door unsealed and slid back. The wizard took long strides and pulled Kit behind him towards a pretty Indian lady in stiff white robes. She paid Kit no mind as she idly flipped through sheaves of parchment.

The wizard coughed lightly to get her attention and still the attractive Doctor didn't turn away from the pages but she at least responded.

"Restrain her." Most of the Doctors knew Kit was never a hassle and most didn't feel the need to tie her down but Doctor Patel was one of the more clinical and cold Witches at the Institute.

The bed was actually a nice word for what could be considered a dissection table in a morgue, solid metal with holes in to drain any of the excess fluids that would seep out of a body during an examination. Kit diligently climbed onto the cold metal and winced at the quick burst of magic from Birdy's wand as he bound her tightly to the bed. With a stiff nod at the inattentive Doctor, he left the room and let the door slide shut by itself.

Kit swallowed audibly and tried to centre herself like Sun had told her to do in the past, deep, even breaths.

' _Seven in, hold five, seven out_.' Sun whispered in her mind, ' _find your centre and focus on your breathing. That's it, Kit, easy now_.' Kit contained her shudders as magic was used nearby and tried to focus on her breathing instead of her fears.

"01026," Doctor Patel addressed her clinically, "today we shall be testing your current resistance to magic and I shall be taking samples of fluids from you. I expect you to keep your composure, none of your accidental fires." When under great stress, the tip of Kit's tails would produce flames and through the practise she had been allowed, she could throw them by flicking her tail tips. She was told this was one of the recorded abilities of a Kitsune.

Kit's trembling increased when she put the pieces together. Samples of fluids sadly isn't as simple as it sounded, at least not for the person who's fluid was being extracted. A sample of fluids meant everything.

The red head stopped paying attention to her breathing as her mind was assaulted with images and memories, the taste of pain forever burned into her body. Resistance to magic was never fun for her either and left her a pained mess no matter how fast she healed.

"I understand Doctor Patel." The muttered agreement left her lips as the pretty Doctor finally turned her frosty eyes to the young girl, chained to a table.

"Then let's begin."

* * *

The day had been long and painful, Kit had a high pain tolerance but it had been pushed to her limit. Practically bald, and lying face down in her bed, Kit was lulled into uneasy rest by Sun's soothing voice, crooning softly to her.

Her tails twitched in the dark, fingers tightly gripping her thin sheets. The magical tests she endured left her with cramping muscles, that continuously convulsed and kept the poor fox girl gnawing at her lips to distract herself from the pain.

Though that was nothing on the fluid extractions. The spit, urine and even blood, hadn't been too stressful. However, the bone marrow from a hole drilled into the back of her femur, spinal fluid taken with a 5 inch needle in the back of her neck, mucus removed from her nose via a long tube and pump, cerebrospinal fluid taken with another, smaller needle, and syringes of both perilymph and endolymph fluids taken from the fluffy fox ears perched on top of her head.

Kitsune's were resistant to magic to a degree, so all the surgery's that had been performed on Kit had to be done with muggle methods. Slicing spells used for dissecting only gave her shallow wounds, though the magic itself made her howl in pain.

According to Doctor Patel, since the growth of her third tail, her hyper sensitivity seemed to have lessened somewhat. Though as Kit trembled in the darkness, she didn't feel as if she was anymore resistant than before.

' _Be strong, little Vixen, one day we will be free from this nightmarish place._ ' Kit slowly raised her head and stared mournfully at the door, sweat making her thin night clothes stick to her body.

"But when, Sun?" And for that, the voice that held her together all these years, had no answer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Seeing as how this is another shorter chapter and already done, I figured I might as well update again. Maybe I'll post the next one too, but I want to make sure that I'm completely happy with it first. Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no profit from this fic. Everything you see has been borrowed, except Kit and the people of TIX.**

Chapter 2

After four weeks, Kit had finally healed enough to head back towards the testing facility for joint classes with the rest of the test subjects. It was called classes but they rarely learned anything but the bare essentials, they could all count, read and write, they were taught strategy and a select few were taught combat.

None of them were allowed wands, though not all of them could use magic either way. The few that had, shared vague memories of life as a young witch or wizard, they were a mixture of magical children and squibs. Kit had one brief memory of being held as a child, there was a smell she had dubbed floral, though she'd never smelled flowers; paired with a soft, feminine giggle, and what seemed like miles of chestnut hair. A stark contrast from Kit's long, vivid almost bloody red that she had adopted from her Kitsune core.

At least it had been lengthy, until Doctor Patel's recent interest in her. Kit however, was spliced with a magical creature, and one with a furry tail and long hair at that. Kit's hair had grown quickly, after her short recovery period it was already around seven inches long and was in an unflattering bob. With no mirrors, the only person Kit had a chance to talk to regularly, Brax, told her as much. But the low pity in his voice was evident and had made Kit lower her head and hide her blush, they had soon been separated by a watching wizard.

Brax was a child that had been spliced with an Abraxan, unlike the Kitsune within Kit, there were few physical traits of the magical horse, bar his white hair and cherry red eyes. He did however, have immense strength and was built tall and willowy standing at an impressive 6"2. Just like Kit he was resistant to magic (though without the sensitivity) and restraining him was becoming more difficult as he grew older. He was young being only 14 and two years younger than Kit, he still made both the wizard's and doctors nervous.

"Are you paying attention 01026?!" The wizard standing next to her with her leash in his hand, practically roared at her. "Do it again!" He took a step back and waited for her to obey his order.

Kit focused on the levitating bag of sand in front of her and began her breathing exercises. Seven in, hold five, seven out. She straightened her spine and her three tails pointed to the ceiling, with a snap of her fingers, three small balls of fire suddenly appeared with a small spray of embers. The clicking of her fingers wasn't mandatory, but it had been taught to give her a focus.

With a strong flick of her tails, all three fireballs soared through the air but only two hit the sandbag. Kit winced visibly and turned to the wizard training her, a guilty look blossoming over her features.  
"Only two? You hit with all three before, what are you playing at?!" He grabbed the front of her jacket and yanked her towards him. Ears flattening against her skull, her breathing quickened and she tried to scramble away from him.  
"And they want you to be a fighter? You're useless!" Kit had vague idea's of what they wanted to do with her when she left the facility. If she left; not everyone lived that long.

"Hey, Andrews, put her down. We aren't supposed to manhandle the patients!" There had been a new wizard to join the ranks of teachers and guards. The new recruit was young and had a look on his face like he had no idea why he signed up for this job.  
"Patients?! You think this thing is a patient? It's nothing more than a test subject, and cannon fodder at best!" He scrunched up his face and threw Kit to the ground in a heap. Kit clutched the wrist that she had landed on and tried to keep her silence.  
'Steady Vixen, don't let him make it worse. Hold your pain.' She tried to oblige Sun's calming tone but a small whimper escaped her as she tried to gather herself and appeared to only anger Andrews.  
"That hurt did it? How'd they expect you to be a fighter, you're too weak!" He bent over and screeched at her balled up form.  
"Come on Andrews, we have to get her cleaned up and get back…" The new boy tentatively approached, the idea of hurting Kit was making him squeamish.

Andrews snarled at him and took his wand out and with a wave, cleaned up the scorch marks on the wall. As Kit tried to slowly get to her feet, and discreetly cradled her arm to her chest, but it seemed that he didn't have the patience to wait for her to carefully pick herself up.  
"Stand up already!"He screeched before a feral grin suddenly cut across his face, "Here, let me help you." Silently casting, he began to levitate her off the ground. The sudden magic coating her entire being made Kit let out a pained cry. Her back arching and her limbs twisting, trying to get away from something she couldn't.

The strain of using magic on her body was hard for Andrews, her natural resistance combined with her struggling, made it difficult to hold her. Nonetheless, he kept lifting her higher, until she was level with the self-levitating sandbag, and with a grunting yell demanded her to grab the bag for him. Kit couldn't even hear him, the longer and more force he used on the tormented fox girl made her writhe in agony, her guttural moans becoming screams and barely ineligible plea's.

"That's enough! Put her down, please!" The new boy sounded as young as he looked, his large blue eyes pleading with the angry wizard. The man glared at him and snarled before releasing his magic and letting Kit's body fall to the floor in an undignified pile on the hard vinyl.

"Get it back to its cell!" He snarled as he strode out of the room, pretending his brow wasn't drenched in sweat and that he wasn't shaking with the exhaustion of holding Kit in the air.

As soon as the door slammed shut, the young wizard ran over to her.  
"Are you alright?" Kit tried to pick herself back up but all three attempts to rise from the floor were met with shaking limbs and pain that made her crumple once more.

The heavy sigh next to her finally made her turn to him. She felt his arms thread underneath her knees, and scrambled to hold onto his neck with her good arm, as he lifted her easily. Kit had never been held like this and looking up at the slightly handsome blonde wizard holding her, it gave her brief flutters in her stomach.

"We need to get you to a healer, where are all the Doctors now?" Kit gave the young wizard a soft stare as she tried to wrap her head around the kindness she was being shown.  
"The medical bay is round the corner from here...they should have someone on hand over there." The fox girl barely muttered as a fierce blush started to stain her cheeks, the pain from magic appeared to be dulling already.

He gave her a bright grin and readjusted her in his arms before taking the recommended route. Kit's wince made him hastily apologise and try to walk with her gently.  
"So you're Kit, right? I'm Darwin Addams…" Darwin seemed to hesitate for a long moment before continuing. "I'm sorry about Andrews, I was told he was a bit of a hardass, but..." He never finished his sentence as they finally reached the medical bay and Darwin caught the eyes of an old nurse that was locking up the medical bay doors. Her frown deepened as she stared at the familiar way Darwin held Kit, who didn't seem phased by her warning glare whilst Kit shrunk back.  
"And what's this then?" Kit flinched back from her accusatory tone and tightened her grip around Darwin's neck.  
"She was injured during training. Can you take a look at her please?" For a moment the nurse seemed like she was going to say no, but with a loud and obnoxious sigh, she unlocked the medical bay doors and led them inside.

"Drop her on the table." Contrary to her demand, Darwin gently lowered her onto the hard plastic bed. Ignoring the pain of her patient the nurse ran a diagnostic spell on Kit and the results flashed before her eyes.  
"Broken wrist…magical exhaustion and over exposure...I'm going to heal your arm and then give you a potion to help sleep off the effects of magic used. Sit still." The cold command was unnecessary as restraints sprang from the corners of the bed and held her fast.

Darwin looked somewhat annoyed, but held his tongue and settled for frowning at the nurse.  
' _He seems braver in front of the nurse_.' Sun taunted, Kit could feel his amusement at Darwin's sudden courage.

The nurse didn't appear to see or didn't care about the wizard's irritation and turned to fish out a milky coloured vial from the cupboard next to her. As she turned her back, Darwin gave her a discrete smile which sent Kit's heart thumping fast.  
' _Ohhh..._?' Sun questioned with a mocking tone. Kit mentally squirmed and said nothing in response.

Turning back to her, the miserable nurse opened the flask and forcibly tipped it down Kit's throat making her gag and cough.  
"Easy!" Darwin reprimanded, the nurse seemed unperturbed giving him a hard and silent glare, before continuing with her wand, and quickly fixing the break in Kit's wrist.

The red head became drowsy quickly, clenching her teeth through the spell that healed her she still let out a low whimper as the magic sent fresh waves of pain over her. Leaving Kit to her sudden shuddering, the nurse turned on her heel and retrieved the keys from her desk to open the full medical bay. The medical Bay was the only room that was magic free, Kit wasn't the only one that was magically sensitive and it was safer to have the choice to use magic as opposed to removing a complex spell on a door altogether.  
"There are three other patients here, so you'll have to find someone to keep watch tonight." Darwin easily offered himself.  
"I'll do it, I'm on until Monday anyway, can you let the desk know when you leave?" The nurse didn't appear any softer, but her tone was.  
"You're stuck with the weekend all nighters? That's a shame, here." She opened the cabinet back up and handed him a practically glowing, cherry red flask. "Keep hold of this, you're going to need it by Saturday night. Wheel her through there, I'm already late. Have a good weekend." Darwin placed the flask on the desk and gave her a small smile.  
"Yeah, you too, sorry for making you late." The nurse waved away his concerns and finally left, with a gentle click the door was locked once more and Darwin turned to Kit. The fox girl had been trying to fight the effects of the potion, a new bursting curiosity to spend more time with one of the captors.

Luckily for Kit, most potions tend to have the same dampened effect as spells did and if she put her will behind it, she could stave off the worst of the effects. Thankfully potions worked on a different type of natural magic that regular humans couldn't use, the nature magic of creature and plant made potions a relatively painless experience.  
"Let's get you more comfortable, shall we?" Darwin suggested with a smile and began wheeling her towards the double doors where the patients were observed and slept.

As promised, there were three other patients. Brax, Fae, and Slug were all confined to separate beds and none were conscious. Kit liked the three of them well enough, Brax being in the neighbouring cell had given Kit reasons to talk to him occasionally and they frequently sat together at meals.

Fae was spliced with a multitude of fairies, she had a strange grace and when she was level headed, was always smiling and sunny. The Doctor's had stopped punishing her when they realised it was their fault she never stopped smiling, but when Fae wasn't happy things would to wrong. She wouldn't touch a thing yet random items would just go missing, objects suddenly broke and the different faces and minds that would try to chatter over her could cause an epic meltdown with widespread destruction.

Poor Slug on the other hand, wasn't powerful. He was a slow, dumpy boy, he constantly secreted acidic fluid and prolonged skin contact would make people blister. Slug had been spliced with a flesh eating slug and was classed as a barely useful cannon fodder. Like Kit, Slug was magically resistant to a degree and would take a lot of damage before he could be stopped. He wasn't unkind but he had a lot of trouble talking to and spending time around others.

None of the three made any movements from the deep sleep they had all been placed in as Kit was noisily wheeled in and rolled against a wall.  
"Well, it looks like we'll be here until you've rested up, so go ahead and get some sleep alright. You'll feel lots better when you get a good night's rest." Kit was a little disappointed that she didn't get a chance to talk more to Darwin, but fighting the potions effects was draining and Kit always welcomed an escape from the daily hell.  
"You're too optimistic." She mumbled against her thin pillow and fell asleep before he could form a reply.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 is the most grisly chapter I've written for the moment, but I imagine it'll get worse at times. So a mild gore warning for all of those sensitive to gross descriptions. Otherwise, please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no profit from this fic. Everything you see has been borrowed, except Kit and the people of TIX.**

Chapter 3

Kit awoke in the dark to multiple screams. With Sun screaming in her mind to move now, because she was in danger and another terrible girlish scream somewhere close, she immediately obeyed. Eyes wildly flying about the room, she tried to understand what was happening.

A hastily drawn curtain was covering her from whatever was happening. Kit swallowed tightly and struggled with her restraints to peek around the small gap. At first the shapes she saw didn't make sense. Then her slightly heightened smell picked up the scent of blood, it was almost overpowering in its amount but the scent of something burning and chemical filled her nose.

The screams had been reduced to a throaty gargle and didn't even sound human anymore.  
"Hurry up Andrews, we've got three others to do!" A grunt was the reply. Doctor Patel and the wizard that trained them, we're hurting Fae. In most cases, the Doctor's would perform experiments that hurt and made all the experiments, afraid and sick.

However, Kit knew that whatever they were doing to Fae, wasn't anything to do with splicing or helping the recuperating fairy girl get better. Judging from the sounds, she was going to die.

Kit renewed her struggles and remembered that Darwin was with her when she fell asleep. Turning her head to the spot she last saw him, she spotted the untouched potion the nurse had given him. On the floor, there was something darker than the rest of the room. Craning her neck to the other side as much as her restraints allowed her, she finally found Darwin. Glassy eyed, and silent, he was in an undignified and uncomfortable looking heap at the foot of her bed.

The panic in the fox girl was rekindled and she began struggling harder against the restraints holding her as quietly as she could. Though magic had made them snap against her body, they were not held by magic but instead attached like belts around her. They were fastened tight and were made of long strips of thick leather, she wouldn't break them anytime soon.

Her incessant wriggling had freed two of her tails from behind her back, she could move them freely enough and tried using one to pry open the latch keeping her prisoner, to no avail.  
'Use your fire, Vixen!' Sun practically roared at her. Taking his advice, Kit shuffled the tip of her tail just underneath the strap across her elbows and snapped her fingers. Her stomach began to feel hot and uncomfortable, but Kit could not burn herself from her own flames. Quickly, the strap melted and Kit shrugged it off, patting out her smouldering sleeve and began awkwardly undoing the buckle around her shoulder, the ones binding her knees and ankles quickly followed suit before Kit quietly rolled off the bed.

Landing on all fours, she winced at the sting in her wrist and scrambled out from her drawn curtain and away from the corpse of the kind wizard. Kit hid herself on the opposite side of the curtain from the body of Darwin and the murderers at the other end of the room where Fae's screams had finally stopped. Keeping low she made to hurry towards the door, but didn't get far before Fae's curtain was yanked back and Kit made the hasty decision to dive under the closest bed occupied by Slug, who was still sleeping soundly. The Doctor made her way over to Kit's hiding place.

Tasting bile and shaking hard, Kit waited for the worst.  
"Alright, let's get this one done fast." The usual monotone voice of Doctor Patel was filled with panic and authority. Dragging her knees up into a ball, tails curling around her waist and fluffy ears flattened against her skull, Kit waited for them to find her.

Luck must have been on her side, they didn't see her, but instead what they did was worse.  
"Mordax Imbre!" Andrews suddenly yelled and although Kit could feel the ambient magic, for a moment it seemed that nothing really happened. Then Kit paid more attention to the faint hiss that was growing louder, suddenly, something oozed onto the floor next to her. Turning quickly to face it, she was met with the sharp smell of something she could hardly stand, but it was foul and made her eyes sting. A hissing puddle in the ground was spitting clear fluid all around, Kit felt some of the spray splash her arms and bit her tongue to hold back her cry.

Wiping her arm quickly, she examined the patches of bare arm where the puddle had spat at her and cringed at the slight mottled looking flesh and rivulets of blood that were oozing down her biceps.

Making the smart decision to scramble back and making herself as small as possible, saved her life. Large splashes of acid were dripping from the bed, at first Kit thought it was Slug, he did secrete an acid like substance, but it mostly blistered people, it didn't eat through the flesh like his namesake suggested.

After a pregnant pause, the screams began again.  
"This one won't melt!" Andrews yelled over the young teens screams.  
"I was worried he might not, alright, keep doing it for a moment we need to get rid of all evidence. I'll get started on the next one." Kit was worried she was going to do the same to her, or worse when they found out she wasn't in her bed.  
"How long do we have until they get here?" Andrews grunted over the strain of melting a boy who was practically made of acid.  
"We have at least an hour, if our sources are correct." There was a pause and a hesitant, "Which, of course, they are."

It was at that opportune moment that there was a deep boom, and the walls vibrated and small clouds of dust and debris fell from the ceiling.  
"I don't think we have an hour, Doctor! That's gotta be those bastards, we have to get out of here now, they'll throw us in Azkaban!" There was a stomp of a heel and Kit saw Doctor Patel's dainty feet come into view.  
"And if they find any of the bodies and know what we did to them, we'll get the kiss!"

Andrews never got the chance to reply as he tried to yank back Doctor Patel, but was just a little too late and the heels Kit was watching with fear, disappeared before there was a bang against the other end of the room.  
"STOP IT!" A bellowing voice that Kit recognised easily and gave her a newfound sense of courage through her. Above her, a loud 'omph!' was heard as Brax attacked Andrews. The back of his legs bashed into the bed and Kit watched his feet unbalance as he tried to defend himself.

There was an audible clatter, and Kit easily spotted the wand that had fallen from the murderous wizard. Barely hesitating, she reached out and snatched it up she could feel the power of the small stick and it made her feel the magic inside her, it was comforting and foreboding at the same time.

Flinching hard as the bed bashed against the wall and rolled slightly, nearly revealing Kit's hiding spot, she made another decision to help. It was easy to be brave when she thought about what they had done to the others and what they were going to do to her and Brax.

Pocketing the wand and grabbing onto his ankles, Kit yanked hard. She bumped her head on the metal bed for her trouble, but Andrews tripped forwards and sprawled out on the floor. Face down There wasn't any hesitation as Brax immediately began to stomp on him, his powerful legs, cracking ribs, leaving horrific bruises and breaks in the wizards arm that poked through his skin.

Brax didn't stop until he was a meaty mess, suddenly lifting up the cover hanging over the bed, he spotted Kit and smiled tightly.  
"Let's go." Those words put equal parts fear and hope into her chest, she knew a little of how the wizarding world worked, with no money, and looking like botched Animagus transformations, they wouldn't get very far.

Though they needed to run away to survive, Kit always knew that dying here was likely but had never felt motivated enough to escape. But when she thought about it, to actually see the sky, to smell the fresh air, to feel grass beneath her feet for the first time... It gave her enough hope to nod confidently and crawl out from under the bed to grab onto Brax's arm

She tried very hard not to look behind her but it was to no avail, even through the corner of her eye, she saw the horrific mess on the bed. Only one word seemed to come to mind, melted. Slug's body was like a melted candle, hot blood oozed down the side of the plastic mattress, his rib cage was exposed and chunks of his flesh were still dropping the floor with meaty squishes.

Quickly turning away, she knew nothing could be done for him now and fell instep with Brax who dragged her towards the door. It was thankfully unlocked, as Brax threw it open and sprinted down the hallway

At first Kit didn't know where the exit was, nor where she was being dragged to, but it became clear when he started pulling her up flights of stairs. The door all the staff entered from had to lead to an exit. With renewed energy, she hurried to keep pace with him, barely managing until a yell cut across the corridor and made her freeze.

"Stop!" It was one of the Doctor's who began shooting spells and was hurtling towards them at full speed.

Brax yanked Kit out of the way of a sickly green curse headed towards her. Stumbling, she barely heard his command but having trained together more than once, she knew what he wanted her to do.  
"Fire!"

Time seemed to slow down for Kit, she had never hurt anyone on purpose with her fire before. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wanted to get away and knew that this man was going to kill them both.  
' _Just think of him as the sandbag. It's either us or him, Vixen, you must choose_.' Sun's voice was calming, and cut across the jumbled thoughts in her head leaving only one remaining.  
"I don't want to die."  
' _Then don't let this be your end. Fight Kit, you have to_.'

Decision made, Kit spread her feet apart and poised her tails as she snapped her fingers. The Doctor running towards them halted and tried to cast a hasty shield, which blocked only the first ball of fire, but not the other two. They slammed into him leaving a molten crater in his chest and threw him back, he tumbled down the hallway slamming back against the door he came through.

Kit didn't have time to think about what she had just done, Brax smiled briefly in gratitude and dragged her away from the smoking man at the end of the hall.

After more twists and turns in the sterile white corridors, they finally came across the room where the staff entered the facility. Knowing that there was always someone on the desk they both halted and panted quietly, trying to catch their breath after their mad dash across the institute. Brax made to reach for the handle but saw it was already open, they both gave each other a nervous look before Brax took command again.

"Get ready to attack." Was all he said as he threw open the door. With barely a thought, Kit clicked her fingers and readied the fireballs, steadily spinning on the ends of her tail in wait.

Looking towards the desk, they could see it was empty and the unconscious bodies of a handful of the staff members were littered on the ground, most were bound with thick rope.

There was a man across the room, in resplendent robes of shimmering purple and gold, a magnificent snowy white beard fell to his knees, he would have looked grandfatherly if it weren't for the almost military like look of apathy on his face.

Neither Kit, nor Brax recognised the man and both looked at one another to gauge their next move.  
"You are patients here, are you not?" The elderly man asked them briskly, his wand already in hand. Kit briefly considered the wand she had hidden in her pocket, but didn't know what she could possibly do with it, having never been shown how to use one and mostly closing her eyes on instinct when one had been pointed at her.

Brax was a silent man by nature, he said very little but when he did speak, people listened.  
"Not anymore." With that he charged towards the old man, Kit hesitated for only a moment and reached out as if to stop him. She could feel the power radiating off the wizard and didn't want Brax to go anywhere near him.  
"No, wait!" A red light quickly hit Brax and he surprisingly fell to his knees. Many times, Kit had watched on fearfully as Brax took the red spell straight to his chest, she had seen him take so many of those spells before he was even out of breath. Yet this man only needed one to break his stride.

"Brax!" Losing control of her fire, it withered away as Kit ran towards him. A second red light had already left the wand of the frowning wizard and another blue one followed swiftly.

Both hit Brax before Kit could reach him, the first knocked him out, the second bound him in rope and threw him back across the room at the same time. Changing course, Kit skidded to a halt next to Brax and began tugging on the ropes cocooning him.

"If you are indeed a patient here, I need you to come with me, you will come to no harm under my care." The quiet voice cut against her helpless struggles, Kit turned in a panic to the wizard her eyes darting to his readied wand and back to his face. Today had been stressful beyond anything she had endured before, being a test subject meant pain, but after a while you knew what to expect. She had never tried to escape before and knew anyone that tried wasn't heard from again.

This however, was different. For all she knew this man could be taking her to be killed like the others at the medical bay. Shaking hard, she crouched low over Brax, shielding him with her body, she didn't even hear that a low snarl that escaped her lips.  
"You hurt him!" She accused furiously, she dipped her head slightly as her tails curled over her back pointing towards him, ready to attack.  
"I can assure you, your friend is not injured only unconscious, I have no fight with you. My friends and I have come to shut down this place, we want to rescue those trapped here. That includes both of you. Will you please come with me?" Of all the things Kit expected this man to be, her saviour was not one of them.  
"What if I don't want to?" Inside her heart was begging to be taken away but she had no idea what awaited her, and she didn't trust this wizard.  
"I'm very sorry, but you do not have the choice. This institution will be taken over by the ministry and thoroughly dismantled, there is no home for you here. Won't you please come with me?" He reached a friendly hand out towards her.

Kit hesitated, she didn't know what to do, almost instantly she turned the question over to Sun.  
' _I don't know what the outcome will be, but it appears that he will take us whether we want to go or not. The question is, how long do you think you could struggle against his power before the pain becomes too much for you? It is better that he doesn't know of your weakness, he is already too powerful for you to get away from. More ammunition might be our death_.'

Turning to look at the bound form of Brax she sighed, she was utterly exhausted and had barely recovered from training a few hours ago. There was no way she could get away, let alone with the heavy Brax in tow, and after saving her, how could she consider abandoning him?

"Alright, I'll go with you" She muttered softly, eyes falling to her sleeping friend. "But no more magic, or I'll burn you!" Kit threatened lamely, she looked him in the eye as she straightened without taking his hand, still keeping Brax behind her.  
"I understand. I will not attack you without provocation, I swear it." The conditional promise made Kit a little worried but it was the best she would get under the circumstances. "Now would you be so kind as to tell me your name?" Kit looked at him cautiously, she didn't want to tell this man anything but it was written on her jacket, so there was no point in lying to the wizard.  
"My name is Kit." She mumbled.  
"Its a pleasure to meet you Kit, my names Albus Dumbledore."


	4. Chapter 4

**And chapter 4! This would have been uploaded a few days ago but my monitor cable broke and my PC was sort of stuck in limbo and I was impatiently ordering leads on eBay. This chapter covers a little of the background of TIX and introduces a familiar face. Feedback would be very welcome, this is just a fun project for me but I love to hear what others think!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no profit from this fic. Everything you see has been borrowed, except Kit and the people of TIX.**

Chapter 4

Albus Dumbledore held his hand out to shake Kit's. Staring warily at his outstretched offer of friendship, Kit unwillingly offered her own hand and gave his a brief shake before dropping it and crouching back down to her unconscious friend.

"What's going to happen to us?" She asked warily, and mindlessly wrung her hands in her lap. Dumbledore's face seemed to soften somewhat as he bent down to her level.  
"I shall take you somewhere safe, my friends and I will do all we can to help you recover and we will try to find your families."

Kit's mouth dropped and panic and hope warred within her.  
' _You fret because he wants to help? My, you always were a strange one, but this certainly takes the prize._ ' Sun admonished with a mental grin. Kit squirmed knowing he was right, this was the opportunity she had been waiting for nearly all her life, she just wasn't sure she wanted this man to be the one to help her.  
"You want to find my family?" She asked meekly, finally remembering to reply to the smiling wizard that nodded gently in response.  
"Yes Kit, please let me help you."

Before the red head could form a reply, another loud explosion shook the building making Kit cringe and throw her body over her vulnerable friend.  
"It's not safe here anymore, shall we leave?" He offered her his hand and Kit assumed he was going to pull her back up, instead he gave her an order.  
"Hold onto your friend tightly, we're going to leave, now." If Kit had understood, she would have gone against Sun's advice and warned him of her sensitivity. Sadly, she'd never Apparated before.

The next few minutes were a hazy blur, she was being held and she could barely see or think past the fog of pain. Dumbledore was trying to make her read something but her eyes couldn't focus on the words. Eventually, he gave up and did more magic, which sent a fresh wave of agony over Kit. A white spell flew from his wand and disappeared somewhere between two houses.

Almost out of nowhere, a large black dog ran out at full pelt, skidding to a halt in front of the elderly wizard, he was quickly informed of the reason behind the hasty summoning.  
"Something is wrong with this girl, and she can't read the address, I need you to tell her, Sirius." Transforming back, Sirius crouched down to the girl writhing in agony, she had started to gnaw her lips, her eyes were unfocused and glassy with tears of agony. For the moment he ignored the visibly disturbing fox ears perched on her head and turned back to Dumbledore.  
"What's her name?" In the dim glow of the street light Sirius couldn't hope to see the writing on her jacket.  
"Kit." Dumbledore informed him quickly.

Sirius lifted the red head up gently by the back of her neck and tried to make eye contact with her to no avail.  
"Kit, Kit sweetheart, can you hear me? I need to tell you something, please listen." He tried to catch her eyes again but couldn't, instead he chose to hold her in an almost hug, her head lolled awkwardly on his shoulder as she stared vacantly at the houses before of her.

There was a gentle whisper in her ear that somehow managed to reach her.  
"Sirius Black invites you to number 12 Grimmauld Place." Kit's eyes barely focused as the new house sprang before her eyes, bricks lacing together as number 11 and 13 were pushed apart.  
"Huh..?" The ambient magic of the Fidellius charm finally settled on Kit and caused her to shake so fiercely she rolled out of Sirius' arms and began convulsing wildly on the pavement.  
"She's seizing! Get the door!" The panic in Sirius' voice was evident as Dumbledore flicked his wand and held open the heavy oak.

The silent spell sent Kit over the edge and her mouth began foaming as she lost all traces of consciousness, her skull began to smash into the concrete. Sirius lifted her up with difficulty and carried her into his home, briefly glancing behind him, he saw Dumbledore was using his wand to wake and carry in the very large boy.

Taking the decision into his own hands, he carried the struggling young girl upstairs and kicked open the closest bedroom door and held down her shoulders on the bed. Dumbledore was close behind him having deposited the boy at the bottom of the stairs, stunning him again once he learned the address. Only his dazed demeanour allowed Dumbledore to do the whole process without any struggle.

"I don't understand why she's like this, she seemed perfectly healthy if a little worn out when I met her." Sirius frowned at the elder wizards blameless tone, and instead focused on Kit. Trying to hold her steady he came to the quick conclusion not to use anymore magic on her.  
"Incarcerous." The old wizard muttered thoughtlessly.  
"Dumbledore- NO!" Before the ropes could even finish snapping to her body Kit's spine arched unnaturally and her mouth gaped in a silent scream, eyes rolling madly at the back of her head. Until suddenly, she stopped convulsing and lay very still.

There was a hesitant pause from both men as they turned slowly to one another.  
"Dumbledore... What have you done?" An open mouthed Dumbledore slowly pocketed his wand and his eyes cast guiltily to Kit's stiff form.  
"I was not aware that... That this would cause such a reaction." The dog Animagus let his mouth fall open.  
"Reaction! Is that what you call that? You convince me to come back to England early for Harry, then you suddenly turn up at my house after what you claim was a "death eater raid", with two strange kids and now-!" Before he could finish his tirade, Kit's body arched again and she coughed and spluttered, light tremors running through her like electricity. He turned back to the foolish wizard and demanded quickly,  
"Go to the kitchen and get me a knife, as fast as your old bones can manage! She reacts badly every time magic is used around her, you and your trigger happy wand need to get out of here." The thoroughly dressed-down wizard was about to protest but a stern look from Sirius made him take his leave to the kitchen.  
"Very well, I shall leave her in your care." Sirius flinched and suddenly appeared embarrassed.  
"What?! Why is she in my ca-" With a quick shake of his head he changed his question. "Why is she even here?" Dumbledore smiled sadly and began walking down the stairs.  
"Once she's settled, we will talk. Now I shall fetch you a sharp knife as quick as these old bones can manage." He called over his shoulder with a vague hint of amusement at Sirius' jibe at his age. He returned quickly to find the Animagus attempting to make the unconscious girl more comfortable to little avail.

"Here you are." Sirius didn't thank the man as he took the knife off of him and carefully cut through the ropes keeping Kit tightly bound. As Sirius properly tucked her into the bed and tried to pull out the ropes from underneath her, Dumbledore hesitated but placed a potion on the desk.  
"I took the liberty of grabbing one of your pain relief potions." He seemed at war with his decision and Sirius frowned.  
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" He raised a sceptical eyebrow and glared at the old wizard.  
"In truth, I wasn't quite sure, but I thought it better to have the option." Dumbledore replied quietly, eyes darting back to the ground. "Believe me Sirius, your chiding won't make me feel any worse. I am already ashamed of my hasty actions. For now we should get the other boy settled and have ourselves a chat."

After taking the unconscious Abraxan boy to bed (and having to enlarge the frame to fit the boy comfortably), Sirius led Dumbledore down to the barely functioning kitchen and quickly brewed a pot of tea. Settling a cup down in front of Dumbledore and cradling his own, Sirius unceremoniously collapsed into his chair and fixed the elderly wizard with another hard stare whilst running a hand through his distressed hair.  
"So... there's a girl upstairs with Fox ears and a bunch of tails that seems to be allergic to magic, and a baby faced giant. I know me and James pulled some mad stuff in our day but you take the cake. Some warning would have been nice." He placed his cup down a little harder than he intended as he took a sip, failing to keep a lid on his temper.

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his temple whilst holding his mug of tea close.  
"Recently we came across some information about a research facility that was leftover after the last war. Some clever wards and a lot of private funding kept it running for fourteen years. After looking into it there was no record of what exactly they researched and a few of our friends in the ministry made discrete enquiries as to its purpose." Sirius started to look impatient and Dumbledore hurried on.

"The institute claimed to be doing vague magical research, but the building stated itself as Xenogenetic research in particular. An Auror went in there undercover as a member of staff and discovered that this facility had been stealing children from magical families for nearly twenty years." Swallowing hard Dumbledore took a comforting sip of tea and relished in the warmth that spread through him but wished for something a little stronger. "The Doctor's used these children in experiments of cross-creature genetics, in short, they were taking the core's of magical creatures and binding them to children... Most didn't survive."

Sirius stared open mouthed at the sorrowful Dumbledore.  
"Those... Those kids upstairs... They were kidnapped and experimented on when they were babies?!" The volume of his voice rose as the realisation hit him. He ran his hands through his messy hair again and stared unblinkingly at the hard oak table. "Merlin, how can people do that to kids?" Dumbledore looked away solemnly.  
"It takes a peculiar breed of monster to drag children into a war, but that's what they were created for. They were experimental soldiers created to fight for Voldemort during the last war, but none were mature enough to fight. I believe that someone outside the facility was pulling the strings and helped secure funding from death eaters and kept the facility running when it should have crumbled from a lack of command." Taking a hearty swig of his tea, Dumbledore placed the cup back down and laced his fingers before warily eyeing Sirius.  
"For now, this is all I know, but I will reconvene with the other order members that should have finished up by now, and I will inform you of more when I am made aware. In the meantime, may I impose those two upon you? They flew through the doors of the reception whilst I was waiting for others and the boy tried to rush me in panic.

I don't believe they meant me any harm, but in fact seemed to be in the middle of a rather daring escape themselves, something I am very interested in the details of. So, can I trust you to care for them?" Sirius sighed hard and slumped backwards in his chair.  
"And how do you expect me to care for them? Do they even know the situation here? One looks like he could be the illegitimate son of Hagrid and the other can't stand magic and looks like she's mucked up an Animagus transformation. What exactly am I supposed to do with them?" Throwing his hands up, he emphasised his bewilderment at how to care for two creature-hybrid teenagers.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with mirth,  
"Perhaps this will be good for you, Sirius. It's been little more than a month since you lost Peter," The elderly wizard ignored the glare that seemed to be trying to burn through him. "And you have suffered a long stay in Azkaban, Harry wants to spend time with you and if all goes well then I don't see why he can spend the remainder of his summer here. I'm told the Weasley's are taking him to the Quidditch world cup his year, so perhaps afterwards we could move him and the Weasley's here. Molly and Arthur will be spoken to of course, and I will inform them of the truth of your incarceration." Sirius tried to ignore the blatant push of his Harry and Peter buttons to little avail. Pushing away from the table, the elderly wizard stood to leave, added "As for your new guests, get to know them and try to make them see they are safe and we will do all we can to return them home, The boy can be restrained with magic, and it might be prudent to keep him bound until you can talk with him. Kit will need a bit more delicate care, remember to feed them, see to their needs and I will ask Tonks to visit and give Kit someone female to talk to."

Sirius snorted into his cup at Dumbledore's idea of care.  
"She's not my first owl and I'm not 11. How am I supposed to take care of a girl suffering from some magic issue?"Dumbledore smiled and headed towards the door.  
"I'm sure you'll work it all out Sirius. I'd recommend dealing with the boy first, I imagine Kit will need a lot of rest. I will send word when I know more, take care of yourself and please stay inside." The dog Animagus rolled his eyes in response and folded his arms childishly.  
"So you've said. Bye Dumbledore, don't leave me waiting too long." With a smile and cheery wave, Dumbledore opened the door and apparated away.

Sirius took the inventive route of shutting the front door with his head and sliding down to the floor in a messy heap.  
"Why am I being trusted with unstable kids? I thought I was the unstable kid, just how senile has Dumbledore become?" He muttered to the depressingly dark wooden floor. Rolling over, he stared at the ceiling and let his eyes drift to the stairs, remembering what was waiting for him on the floor above.

With a huff he pushed himself off he hard wood and stared into space as the dark memories overtook him.  
"I guess I'm not the unruly teen anymore, am I James?" Instead of being met with expected silence a loud crash made him shoot to his feet and take the stairs two at a time. Halting at the bedroom door, he readied his wand and was met with what appeared to be a long human worm.

Bound tightly and still wrapped in blankets, Brax had made a daring escape from his bed as soon as he'd woken. Sadly the ropes gave him no leeway and left him shuffling for freedom.

"Whoa, hey now! Don't move around!" Sirius reprimanded and levitated the giant boy back onto the bed with a strong burst of magic.  
"What have you done with Kit?!" The boy roared at him, his eyes ablaze with anger. Sirius held his hands up defensively.  
"Easy now, don't hurt yourself. Your friend is fine, she's in the other room sleeping. I'm happy to take you to see her once we've had a chat, is that okay?" Brax appeared to be staring Sirius out, but he recognised the feeling of being judged by the eyes of a creature like Buckbeak, and held steady.

It took a long time for the Abraxan boy to respond, but he appeared more level headed, if still a touch unhappy.  
"I will listen to you, but I will see Kit." Sirius nodded and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.  
"As soon as we're done talking, you can see her. To start, my name's Sirius, can you tell me yours?" He was silent for so long that Sirius thought he had decided not to answer.  
"The Doctor's called me Brax." Frowning, he thought over the peculiar names.  
"Did the Doctor's name all of you?" Brax nodded in response. Kit and Brax were unusual names, and when he had a chance he wanted to ask them about their backgrounds properly, but with one boy tied up and an unconscious girl next door, it hardly seemed the time.  
"Okay Brax, I know you have no idea what's going on but I'll keep it brief. This is my home, we want you to stay here in safety until Dumbledore can find your parents." Sirius hesitated and tried to choose his words carefully "The place you lived at before, has been seized by the ministry and will never operate again. You and Kit never have to go back to that place, understand?" A brief look of satisfaction and relief crossed over Brax's face before he nodded silently again.

Sirius smiled at him and pulled the chair out from the nearby writing desk and sat down.  
"Now, I know today must have been stressful but I need to know what happened to you since you this morning. Can you tell me, Brax?" The boy barely seemed phased by the question and gave his answer in a mostly monotonous voice.  
"I woke up. Had training. It didn't go well, I went to the medical bay. I was put to sleep...woke up to screaming and yelling. I had broken ribs, so the ropes were lose. The Doctor was killing the others. I attacked her and the wizard tried to attack me. Kit helped and we ran away together." Brax took a long pause as if debating something and continued his plainly worded story. "We met the old man, he knocked me out and now I'm here."

Sirius pondered hard for a minute, he was a little perturbed by the tale but didn't want to make the boy feel bad for things beyond his control. Talking to him, it was easy to see he was much younger than he looked and had dealt with quite the traumatic day before waking up in a strangers bed. He began to think of how to broach the subject of Kit's magical issues.

"Can you tell me more about your friend?" Brax looked like he would refuse for a moment but finally spat out.  
"She's a nice person." Sirius tried not to grin, he felt like he was in some insane role reversal, playing the adult. If Brax noticed his tinge of amusement he didn't say anything.  
"Can I see Kit now?" He pressured again. Sirius fidgeted, unsure of how to explain what they'd accidentally done.  
"You can but I don't think she's going to be up for a long time.." Sirius winced as the boys eyes narrowed harshly.  
"Explain." He demanded, looking quite intimidating for a teenager, restrained on a bed.

Sirius rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  
"What can you tell me about Kit's reaction to magic?" Brax's frowned deeper and his cherry red eyes hardened.  
"Did you use magic on her?" He questioned with more authority than his age allowed.  
"She was Apparated, that's a type of magical transportation. As far as I know she didn't tell Dumbledore, the man who brought you here, about any problems so we didn't know and she was in no condition to tell us after. As soon as I realised that magic was the issue we stopped using it around her. I'm very sorry she was hurt, we only want to help, I swear." Sirius pleaded with the boy.

Brax regarded him coolly and seemed to take his time making up his mind on what to say to the stranger.  
"Let me see her." Was all he muttered, still staring down Sirius unnervingly. Swallowing slowly, Sirius stood and walked closer to the large boy.  
"If I untie you I don't want any trouble from you Brax. You're not going to be a hassle, are you?" Brax briefly shook his head and Sirius released the sigh he was holding and waved his wand briefly, releasing the bound Abraxan boy. "Good enough for me, she's this way."

Untangling the loose ropes, Brax pushed himself off the bed and gave Sirius a distrustful look, eyes grazing on his palmed wand, he walked out of the door and let Sirius lead him to the right, both men keeping a constant eye on one another. Brax took the hint at Sirius' pause and turned the handle. Pushing open the creaky mahogany wood, he stumbled into his recuperating friends room.

He made slow, deliberate, steps towards Kit.  
"Can you tell me more about why this happened? I've never seen anyone react to magic like this." Brax turned back to answer Sirius' quiet inquiry,  
"At the institute, some people were magically hyper sensitive. Most were just resistant." Turning back to his friend he continued morbidly, "Nearly all of them grew out of it though."

Sirius didn't disturb the silence for a while and let Brax fuss around Kit, gently pulling the remains of ropes from underneath her, unzipping her jacket, tucking her in, brushing the hair out of her face. His care was tender and innocent, he looked down at her with those constantly intense crimson eyes that held nothing but warmth for her.  
"You must care for her a lot." Sirius muttered aloud and broke the delicate spell on Brax's kind ministrations, his hands dropping to his sides. He immediately chided himself for making the boy feel uncomfortable and took a sheepish step back.  
"She was always nice to me... The others were afraid, she wasn't. She was never afraid of me." Sirius had a soft smile on his face and confidently placed a warm hand on Brax's shoulder and was slightly surprised the boy had no reaction.

"If you like, you can stay in here with her, it'd be good for her to be near a friend and I know it'd make me feel better if I was with my friend's while they were recovering." Sirius tried with all his might to ignore the mocking voice that told him he couldn't be there for any of his friend's when it mattered most. Grief riddled his heart, the Animagus was never given a chance to properly mourn the loss of the family he chose before he was locked away to be tortured by the Dementors, their presence sending fresh waves of pain washing over him. He believed he would go mad until he saw that picture of Peter.

"I would like that." Shaking off his own pain he gave Brax's shoulder a friendly squeeze and smiled brightly.  
"But before that, let's get you something to eat yeah? She'll still be here when you're done and it'll be easier to protect her if you're full and strong, right?" Brax almost gave him a nod and with a last long look at Kit he turned fully towards Sirius and let him lead him downstairs to the comfort of food.

After much bustling around the kitchen Sirius produced a stack of biscuits and heated up some chicken soup.  
"Dinner, and pudding!" He produced with a grin, placing both in front of the hulking boy. "Sorry it's not much, I was going to cast a glamour and head to the shops tonight, but it'd be better if I went tomorrow."

Brax blinked at the spread before him with slight confusion,  
"Is this meat?" Sirius nodded hesitantly and Brax picked up his spoon and dug in with exuberance. The Animagus raised his eyebrows but grinned at the way the boy stuffed his face.

It wasn't long before the bowl was dropped back on the table, Brax gave a hearty sigh and picked up a biscuit to slowly munch.  
"Thank you." He mumbled between bites. Sirius grinned and grabbed a biscuit for himself.  
"No problem, Brax." He demolished the crumbly biscuit quickly and waited for the boy to finish his own.

Clumsily wiping the back of his hand across his mouth Brax turned his full attention to the friendly wizard before him.  
"I'd like to know more about what you want with me and Kit." Sirius frowned thoughtfully at the boys demands and folded his arms across his chest before replying.  
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Dumbledore asked me to come back into the country to make use of this house, sadly it won't accept anyone but a family member as the secret keeper. That's the person that can permit entry to this house. Anyway, I escaped prison, where I was being unjustly held, so Dumbledore can't make much use of me. I couldn't tell you what he wants to do with you, but he said that he wants to help you find your families, so until then I guess you'll be staying with me... If that's alright?" Sirius finished nervously, he was reminded of asking Harry to live with him after his last fiasco with the traitorous rodent.

Brax appeared to take his time before he did anything and stared at Sirius evenly before replying.  
"I will ask Kit what she thinks. I am content here." Sirius smiled and dropped down in the chair facing him, he really was beast-like if feeding him gained his trust, he mused silently.  
"Great if there's anything you need, you'll have to let me know, but I think we'll get along just fine." Sirius offered him his hand to shake with another bright grin. Brax hesitantly reached towards him but before he could shake it there was a tinkling smash of glass upstairs and Brax was already halfway up the stairs before Sirius could stand.

Following the boy he ran through Kit's open door to find the red head coughing and Brax rubbing her back gently.  
"Take it easy Kit." Brax ordered gently and pushed her back down on the bed. Kit was coughing hard but grumbled back,  
"What's in that stuff? It's horrible Brax!" She whined before curling back up in bed.  
"Well you seem to be feeling better." Sirius interrupted brightly causing Kit to sit up abruptly and stare at him in awe.  
'What is it with these kids and staring?'

 **Just so its cleared up now, Sirius was asked back early by Dumbledore to give the Order a safe house. Mostly for stopping death eater side projects, like TIX. So its still the same basic reasoning but this is starting in the summer after PoA. Any questions, drop me a line.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another case of already have this written, so let's post! This is just a short chapter about Brax, Kit and Sirius' first proper meeting. I received a guest reviewing saying this reads a little like original fiction for the first 3 chapters, I completely agree it does! However, this story was never meant to be fast-paced, and slotting in familiar characters before I did wasn't something I wanted to do. This story is mostly about my characters interacting with the Harry Potter world, but I plan to create friendships with many of the characters and have them go on adventures with them. If that isn't what you like to read then I'm sorry but that's just how I want to do this.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy and a big thanks to the kind people that have** **favourite'd and followed this already, I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no profit from this fic. Everything you see has been borrowed, except Kit and the people of TIX.**

Chapter 5

Low voices bellow her roused Kit from her slumber, always sensitive to noises, she sat up quickly. Her eyes scanned the unfamiliar room before landing on a neon purple potion, practically glowing on the bedside table. Kit felt fuzzy and sore all over, reaching out for the hopefully healing drink, she noticed the fierce tremble in her hands.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself she reached out again and shakily uncorked the glass and attempted to throw it down her throat and chug it before her shakes got worse. Unfortunately it made her choke and she spat out the last of it and dropped the glass in the process. It shattered with a loud smash causing the conversation downstairs to halt.

Like magic, Brax appeared at her side and was rubbing her back comfortingly. Making a joke with him about the taste, Kit didn't even notice the new addition until he spoke.  
"Well you seem to be feeling better." Turning to stare at the smiling man, Kit was captured in thoughts with Sun.  
' _Vixen, we need to learn where we are and what's happened stop staring at the man and speak._ ' His mildly irritated order broke the spell and she nodded shyly.  
"Yes, I am."  
' _Well that was helpful, want to try again?_ ' Sun taunted and Kit tried not to let her irritation show.  
"In that case, I believe a trip to the shop is definitely in order tomorrow, your friend here just ate me out of house and home!" He wailed dramatically, the back of his wrist coming to rest on his forehead.  
"I did not eat you out of either. You just don't have any food." Brax sounded almost teasing in his reply, and that was more than enough for Sirius who grinned and walked towards the door.  
"Such a mean kid! Well let's see if I can't rustle you both up a cup of tea at least." Though Kit felt on edge waking up in a strange place with open doors and no guards, Sirius had easily made her feel comforted and like she was an old friend instead of a stranger barging into his home. Sirius gave a jaunty wave farewell as he skipped back down the stairs with a small smile

Kit watched him leave with cautious curiosity and waited until she heard the last thud of him going down the stairs before she turned to question her friend.  
"Where are we Brax, what happened?" Kit's memories were a little fuzzy but she remembered escaping and meeting an old wizard.

Brax's sigh cut across her thoughts as he lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, making a noticeable dip.  
"That old man, Dumbledore, he used magic to transport us here. It did a number on you. We're at that man's house, his names Sirius. He seems nice." Kit perked up at that, it was rare for Brax to call anyone nice.

"Wow Brax, that's some high praise right there." Kit jibbed with a toothy grin. When not under the watchful eye of the Doctor's, Kit's playful personality would shine. It was part of Sun's nature, playful, teasing, a bit of a prankster. Brax gave her a lopsided grin and nudged her shoulder a little harder than he meant to.  
"Never mind that. Kit; we're free." He looked a little sad and unsure but his eyes still held a fierce joy and the smile never left his face.

Kit bit back her next words and looked at him softly, letting that fact sink in. Freedom wasn't what she thought it be. She expected to be fleeing for her life, scared and running barefoot up hills with wand fire missing her by inches.

In comparison, freedom was quiet. If Dumbledore had not swept them away they may have both been chased through desolate countryside, but until the grandfatherly wizard returned, she was unsure of how free she truly was.

"I hope you're right Brax." She mumbled quietly, bunching her knees up to her chest.

"I'll keep us safe." He swore solemnly. Kit looked up at him, his face would look angry and intimidating to anyone else, but Kit had grown up with him. She knew his face well, he radiated protectiveness and a fierce strength that Kit could never match.

"Silly, aren't the older ones supposed to protect the kids?" She teased good naturedly and earned a slow smile for her efforts.

"I'm bigger than you." He stated simply, a small spark of mirth lit his usually dim eyes. She grinned and flicked his head with one of her tails.

"That's like me saying I'm in charge cause I have more tails than you!" Kit giggled a touch before standing to stretch, "Oh wow- you were right, they really did do a number on me!" Her spine popped in several place as she stretched backwards, her face slipping into a grimace.

"Come on, we shouldn't keep Sirius waiting." Brax grabbed her hand and pulled her gently away from her bemoaning of her injuries. Sighing, Kit followed him easily as he guided he down the stairs, taking careful note to keep hold of her and to keep her steady.

"I'm fine you know, just achy. I swear, I'm not going to face plant anything, so don't be so overprotective." She admonished lightly as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Brax only hesitated for a moment before a slight glare from Kit made him release her arm.

"Don't fall over." Was his brief advice that she rolled her eyes to.

They turned into a dusty old kitchen and spotted Sirius opening and closing cupboards, he stopped as soon as he saw them both and his face brightened.

"Oh hey, come take a seat! Sorry about the mess, I've only been back about a week, so its a little all over the shop." Rubbing his head sheepishly he turned back to the cupboard and began his rummaging anew.

"For instance, I know I have sugar but I've gone and put it somewhere safe. So safe, that I have no idea where it is." He turned back and grinned at them again. "I'll pick some more up tomorrow if it doesn't turn up, but would you mind just a spoon of honey in it for now?"

Kit was a little lost for words, this stranger was treating her like an old friend. It was nice but she had never formed any kind of bond with anyone that wasn't a patient at the institute, she can't remember meeting an adult she even considered talking to until Darwin. The thought of him sent a pang of sadness inside her, she still had no idea who had murdered him but it looked like he died quickly and surprisingly.

The more she thought about it the less sense it made, if Darwin worked there and both Doctor Patel and Andrews (who didn't spend anytime together to her knowledge) were trying to kill all the patients, why didn't he help?

Kit comforted herself with the thought that maybe he didn't want to kill her.

"Honey is fine." Brax answered for both of them, snapping her out of her depressing musings.

A chirpy Sirius turned back to the cupboard and pulled out a jar of golden liquid, it immediately caught Kit's eye, she'd never seen anything quite like it.

"Is that tea?" Was her very first question to him. Sirius looked a little surprised but turned and smiled a little softly.

"No love, this is honey, want to try some? You can eat it out of the jar like this and its not magical so it won't hurt you." He offered eagerly. Kit didn't want to turn him down and she was slightly curious so she nodded and made the short walk over to him.

"Here you go." He passes her a spoon that was almost dripping, she stared at it for a moment before taking it from him and tentatively licking the sticky

gold.

' _Well bless my tails…!_ ' Sun startled in her mind.

Kit's mouth began watering almost instantly and she eagerly popped the spoon in her mouth and sucked the rest off.

"That was amazing! Can I have some more?" She pleaded with a wide happy smile that Sirius couldn't help but return.

"Sure, here!" He passed her another spoonful and watched her eagerly lick it clean.

"Wow! I don't think I've ever eaten anything so sweet in my life! Brax you have to try this!" She handed Sirius back the spoon and looked at him expectantly, he grinned and loaded it up for her and she quickly hurried to her friends side, hand hovering underneath the honey.

He only looked at her sceptically for a moment before opening his mouth and letting her feed him.

"It's sweet." He stated simply, though Kit recognised the approval and smile in his eyes.

"Isn't it great?!" Kit bubbled happily and smiled at Sirius hesitantly. "Thank you, Sirius." She said with a light blush, this man was kind and it was refreshing and left her feeling warm inside.

Sirius turned back to them carrying two cups and gently placed them in front of their seats.

"My pleasure Kit, now come have some tea, you can have some more honey after if you like?" He offered easily leaving the fox girl speechless and thrilled. Gathering herself she nodded vigorously and obediently sat and picked up her tea.

"Its hot, so blow on it first okay?" They both nodded and began diligently blowing their tea as Sirius grabbed his own from the counter and joined them.

"Well now..." Sirius paused for a moment, should he start by asking these kids questions or just continue to be extremely nice? He tried to take the high road and go for both. "So I know you've both had quite a rough day, but let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Dumbledore told me a little bit about where you came from and that means we might have different needs from each other. Something you consider as everyday might not be what I'm used to and I want to make this as easy for you both as I can okay, so is there anything you normally have to eat or drink or do?"

Kit and Brax looked at each other thoughtfully, and Brax took the lead to offer his needs first.

"I was kept on a diet of grains and malt beers or liqueurs. They said it made me strong." Sirius raised an eyebrow. At first he thought that maybe the kid was going for the gold and trying to wheedle booze out of him already, but thinking about it neither of them had any experience of the outside world and were impressed by honey of all things.

"Do you need to stick to that or will it make you sick if you don't have any beers?" Sirius asked, trying to confirm its usage.

"I don't need it to survive, its used for my other half to keep him stronger. The Doctors told me that it made me more powerful, that's all I know." Thoughtfully nodding Sirius tried not to look annoyed at how a young boy had been on such a poor diet.

"Well, I'll pick some up tomorrow as a just in case and we'll see how long until you need one. If you start to feel weak or anything you'll have to let me know, that way we can both learn more about what your needs are." Sirius tried to give him a comforting smile but Brax just gave a solemn nod and turned expectantly to Kit who began to blush.

"Oh...er...I was fed mostly tofu, I had noodles when I was about to train. I drank a lot of sake too, but I didn't enjoy that so much." Taking a sip of her tea to steady herself she savoured the sweet flavour on her tongue and a smile blossomed over her lips. "This is delicious!" She exclaimed happily and took another hearty swig.

"I'm glad you like it, you can have tea whenever you like. As for tofu, if you want other things then I'd be more than happy to share my regular meals with you; both of you. But I'll buy some just in case you need it too." Both of the children thanked him and all three turned back to their tea.

Sirius drained his cup first and smiled tentatively at the pair.

"Okay, so I wanted to ask you about magic, do you know any?" Brax shook his head but nodded towards Kit.

"I'm just strong. Kit has fire though." Sirius turned curiously to Kit and waited for an explanation. Blushing again, Kit gently lowered her cup and looked shyly at her fingers playing with the handle.

"I can make fire from my tails...it doesn't burn me and I can throw it at things. That's what a lot of my training involved, I was told I'd get stronger as I matured, though they weren't sure when so I was a project in progress." Kit awkwardly rubbed her arm which still had a smattering of scabs from the acid splashback earlier.

Sirius bit his tongue and closed his eyes briefly, it made him angry that they were just thought of as projects, they were kids! Tiny people that should have been loved and given the chance to have their own dreams and hopes for the future. After Harry's near death and how he himself was raised, he found he was a touch sensitive to child abuse.

Taking a slow breath he tried to continue.

"Well now, that is different. Do you need to train or will you be alright without?"

Instead of answering herself she turned the question over to Sun.

' _If you keep your fire contained for too long it could effect your mood and could leave you prone to accidental bursts...but I don't think that'll be an issue for you. We can manage without for a while, you know this._ ' Kit silently agreed and turned back to the conversation with Sirius.

"If...if I don't train I'll be alright. Though it could make me a little emotional to hold it in." Kit offered the Animagus with an apologetic smile.

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment and appeared to be having a mental debate with himself.

"Well how about this, we'll give it a few days and if you feel your mood dropping at all tell me and in the meantime I'll figure out a place for you to practise when you need to. I don't want you to force yourself to be miserable on my account." Kit looked hopefully at his kind and scraggly face.

' _He is very kind. Kind men are a rare commodity in your world, be good for him Kit._ ' Kit nearly physically spluttered at his demand.

'He's not adopting me y'know!' She mentally gave him an indignant huff at the mocking chuckle that followed.

A brief nudge from Brax snapped her back to reality and she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, her tails curling around her shoulders and waist in embarrassment.

"Sorry! Yes, that would be very helpful, thank you!" She bowed her head slightly in part to show her thanks and to hide her blush.

Sirius smiled at the bashful girl, it was clear she didn't know how to react to him, he could understand that. Growing up most of the adults he knew were pure poison to him, they tried to drag him into their nasty world of dark magic, debauchery and death.

It wasn't until he met Monty and Mia Potter that his preconceived notions on adults changed. Both of Harry's grandparents had hated their first names, Fleamont and Euphemia. When Sirius had learned of them he laughed but only made the mistake of calling them by their full names once. When dragon pox took them both it was hard on him and James, they were the parents he had always dreamed of and taking him in and sharing their love was more than he thought he deserved.

Sighing internally he forced the smile back on his face and turned to the clearly not-so-unruly teenagers.

"You're welcome Kit, remember to just let me know if there's anything you need...by the way, Kit and Brax? Are they short for something?" Both looked a little confused at first but Brax spoke up.

"I was spliced with an Abraxan. So my name is Brax." The simple statement nearly made Sirius' heart stutter. They weren't even given real names, just abbreviations of the creatures that were forced into their bodies.

Admonishing himself for the anguish that was shining through his happy facade he shook himself out of it and repeated 'don't upset them, don't upset them,' in his mind to keep himself on track.

The back of his mind was already trying to establish what Kit could be before she graciously told him herself.

"I was crossed with a Kitsune, he comes from Japan. Since I got the first half, he took the second part and calls himself Sun."

Sirius really wasn't sure how much more of this he could take tonight.

"Sun? Do you talk to him?" Kit hesitated and became a little unsure. The Doctors knew that Sun had manifested in her mind a long time ago, the same happened to a few of the others. Fae was a prime example with the multitude of voices in her head all chattering away, Fae had told the doctors once that it felt like they were eating her brain away slowly. A thought that still haunted Kit.

She didn't want to freak out Sirius. Kit knew that the Staff and Doctors all thought that it was creepy how some of the kids would talk out loud to the magical beasts that they had crammed into their tiny souls. However, Sun had advised she be good to him.

"Yes, most of the day. He used to tell me old tales when I was younger but he started to forget himself..."

' _Vixen..._ ' Sun gently warned her but she ignored his soft tones and kept talking, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes for the depth of her love for her constant companion.

"He's kind, he makes me laugh. He keeps me going, keeps me surviving. I just want him to be free from all this. I want him to be free from me." Kit finished in almost a whisper, the tears threatening to overflow for her sadness that her closest friend was trapped inside her. She looked up at him with shiny eyes.

"I don't care if you find my family...can you set him free?"

Sirius had no words.

 **Next chapter is double the length, so look forward to that soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I've had a good amount of inspiration lately, I like to keep myself at least one chapter ahead of whatever I post so I'm currently working on chapter 8 and I'm now happy with this one. As always, reviews are always welcome, and I hope you enjoy a big thanks to the sweethearts that have put this story on their lists and those that have taken the time to read this, I'm sending you all the love, you angels!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no profit from this fic. Everything you see has been borrowed, except Kit and the people of TIX.**

Chapter 6

' _Kit..._ ' The fox girl could feel the pain in Sun's voice, and what she wouldn't give to take that away from him. ' _If I were corporeal again, I'd steal you away. I'd take you to my home even though I can't remember where that is anymore, and I'd do anything to make you happy. You save me from my loneliness Vixen, you've given me more than I thought I'd get, trapped like this. Don't you ever think I need to be free, I have you._ '

Kit felt his devotion to her in his words through the unique bond they shared, she could never keep a secret from him when he bathed in all her emotions like they were a river.

'And I'd do anything to set you free, you are my most precious person. I want you to be happy doing whatever you want. Not stuck in my body watching the world through my eyes. I'm free now, all I want is the same for you. Let me find a way.' Kit pleaded hopefully, now that she herself was free the potential to learn about Sun and how she could give him back his body was limitless.

Sun was silent for a moment, Kit was studiously ignoring the concerned stare of Sirius and the slightly confused one of Brax.

' _You impossible child, you make me crave more than I deserve. Maybe its time I attempted to manifest myself in your dreams, I feel selfishly lonely._ '

A watery grin spread across Kit's pale face, long ago Sun had told her a little of his gifts and though he couldn't remember using them himself anymore the instinct was still there. She remembered his traumatic time when she was 8, he had started to lose all his memories, what the Doctors had done began unravelling him like a ball of wool. She forced herself to stay up late and repeat anything she remembered him telling her when she was little. Like the tale of the Rabbit in the Moon, and how he was irritated that the fox wasn't considered the most generous by the Old Man in the Moon.

After a year or so he started to just let go of the little things and whenever he asked she would recite the important things he asked her to remember. Though it was very little, and some he couldn't tell her at all because of the Doctors poking around her head. She mostly knew of a smattering of his folk tales and a name he couldn't place but could never forget.

Kozakura.

That's all he could remember of the name, even though she could sense his hurt he had teased her and said it must have been a woman for who could resist such a handsome fox. Kit had laughed at the time but maybe he had someone he loved and who missed him dearly.

Sun had always been concerned that making Kit try her other gifts would harm her, other children in the facility being forced to do similar and dying from the strain to their bodies. Sun had begged her to never try anything until they discussed it, he didn't want to risk anymore testing than they already endured.

She had agreed without question but had always been curious as to the things she could be capable of, and now he was offering to manifest in her dreams and show her how it was done.

'Okay Sun, tonight I want to see you.' Kit felt his happiness at her words and his excitement ran through her like electricity bringing a joyous smile on her face.

Before Sun could reply Brax gave Kit's arm a nudge and fixed her with an amused stare.

"Stop chatting with Sun." He told her with a small grin crinkling his brilliant eyes. Freedom suits him, Kit thought happily before grinning back at him.

"Sorry, we're both just sort of processing the situation a bit. We plan to have a talk later." She smothered a giggle that was bubbling in her throat, Sun's excitement and hers was leaving her a touch giddy.

Sirius nodded with a tight smile, he was taught that things like this were dark magic but when he thought about it that's exactly what it was. Whatever vile experiments these children had gone through could only be the darkest of magic, to tear the magical core from a creature and bind it to a child.

"Is there something you want to know?" Brax asked him briskly, cutting across the Animagus' enraged musings.

"Uh..right, sorry, got a bit lost in thought there. Well, I'll be honest with you, you both just escaped somewhere that was holding you hostage and putting you through...misery. I've only just come out of a similar situation myself. I was wrongfully imprisoned for twelve years and left to rot with Dementors." Kit froze up for a moment causing Sirius to stop and look at her.

"Dementors…?" She said in a terrified whisper.

Many years ago in TIX, there had been a little girl that had been spliced with the magical core of a Dementor. For weeks as she adjusted she sucked the joy out of a room and left everyone afraid and sad, which in a place that had that in abundance, was destructive on a massive scale.

The girl had been dubbed Deme given a mask to hide the grotesque hole that spanned most of her face and as soon as the she was able to walk around on her own things went downhill.

Dementors magic was never meant to sit side by side with human emotions and the mix left Deme with a constant scream, that only stopped when she wore her mask. The sound still haunted Kit to this day.

It wasn't long until it became too much for her and Deme snapped, her dark magic leaking out of her in the canteen, making most people fall the ground and sob. Kit was affected badly but not as much as those closest. She relived all the experiments and felt the pain and terror as she saw needles and scalpels and drills come closer and closer to her body with no way to stop the pain.

Deme killed 6 of the children closest to her, before drinking in souls coated in various creature magic became too much and her flesh started to peel away and leave her a screaming skeleton for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually her bones began to crumble under her and the month long screams had finally stopped.

Kit tried to comfort herself with thoughts that maybe she was at peace, from her curled up position on the floor she remembered seeing Deme's face, the dark eyes leaking tears like a fountain the entire time. Sun had once told her that Deme's pain was too great and that it was an inevitable end for the poor girl.

And so even though Kit had never seen a real Dementor, her fears were merited.

It appeared that Brax was the only one level headed enough to talk for the pair.

"Kit?" Sirius questioned slowly at the fear that had blossomed over her face.

"There was a girl with a Dementor inside her. It did not end well." Brax was sitting further away and had been affected badly but dealt with it well.

Sirius couldn't contain his disgust any longer.

His face screwed up in anger and to stop him slamming his fist on the table in a rage he grabbed at his hair and face planted the table. There was a hesitant pause before Kit quietly said his name. Sirius took a deep breath and picked his head up from the table.

"I'm sorry. What's been done to you is wrong...it makes me angry that you went through all this. I'm not upset with either of you, but this is all difficult to hear." He apologised reasonably with a sad sigh, letting the vestiges of anger drain from him at the sight of their worried faces.

"You say we come from the same places," Brax started quietly, "You are one of us." He stated simply. Kit nodded enthusiastically and nervously reached over to pat Sirius' arm.

"Your rage for us is kind, you're kind Sirius. I don't know what happened to put you so close to-to Dementors, but you are a good man. Brax is right, you're one of us, I can feel it." She gave him a gentle smile and Sirius stared at them both in confusion.

They were so accepting of him, of course they didn't know what he'd been accused of but they didn't question his innocence or ask what he had done. The more he looked at them the more similarities he could see. Wary, slightly hollow eyes, snowy pale from an obvious lack of sunlight, the defensive and shy ways they carried themselves. All the signs were there, they were starved of love and they could see kin a mile off.

For Sirius, he had been surrounded by scum, they deserved to be there and he had no contact with anyone that would dare to comfort the "notorious mass murderer" Sirius Black.

These kids had grown up and been put through hell while surrounded by fellow innocence. Their bond and acceptance of a fresh face that was struggling trapped in a claustrophobic hell was easy to understand when he thought about it. They must have accepted many other frightened kids, so even if the circumstances were different but the outcome was eerily similar.

They all came away as shells of who they could have been.

Sirius felt a bubble of emotion in his throat. Harry's trust in him and desire to become closer was more than he thought he deserved after letting down his brother in all but blood and his sweet wife. Harry knew his own hell, he was as malnourished as the rest of them and worse, had been abused by family.

Sirius related to all three of the children's pain in a profound way that made him feel like he was still a lost little boy. Standing abruptly, he tried to blink back the lump in his throat and made his way to the accepting teenagers. He crouched down and slung an arm around both of their shoulders, to offer them comfort or to take it from them, he wasn't sure.

Both teens held him back, Brax grasped his hand and bowed his head a touch as if mourning. Kit surprisingly tackled his chest and buried her face into his neck.

"Thank you..for understanding." Sirius voice cracked slightly as he expressed his gratitude at their acceptance of the dark parts of himself that were still trapped in the cold and miserable Azkaban.

Kit's eyes were overflowing with tears, both happy and sad, glad that he understood their anguish, but sorrowful that he had lived through it too. He no longer felt like a stranger, more someone that would turn up at TIX and needed a friend.

"Its okay Sirius, we're free now." She whispered to him between joyful tears. He could only nod tightly and hold the pair of them tighter.

It was a while before they all separated and afterwards, the conversation seemed to flow easier between the trio. Once Kit felt safe she realised she had hundreds of questions running through her mind. Sirius had made them another cup of tea to help steady his nerves he said, mentally bemoaning his lack of alcohol having only been there for a short time and most of that was spent trying to make the place habitable.

Kit wanted to learn all about him and what he did or liked or even just knew. She absorbed information like a sponge whereas Brax seemed to be amused to just listen and watch the fox girl natter away.

Sirius found it part adorable and part disturbing, that she knew so little of the world beyond that she was to work for Voldemort and she would be part of his army. For his own sanity's sake he tried to steer clear of those topics for tonight, and instead focused on things that they'd like to do instead.

Sirius was fascinated by how emotive Kits ears were he enjoyed her "pondering" movements as they twitched repeatedly whilst she thought.

"I don't really know what I want to do...do you mean like right now?" Sirius grinned at her and chuckled fondly.

"If you like, I'm just interested in learning more about the both of you." Kit looked thoughtful again and Brax decided to speak.

"I think I want to be a wizard." Sirius looked mildly surprised by his answer and questioned the boy on his magical ability.

"I've never done magic before, no. But I want to try." Sirius wasn't sure if Brax was one of the kidnapped squib children, or if he had just never gotten a chance to use magic. Either way he made up his mind to help the boy out.

"Well, I guess I shall have to start teaching you magic, but we're going to have to find somewhere far enough away from Kit." Kit looked a little hurt and her furry ears drooped, making Sirius feel guilty. "Not that I don't want you there or to learn magic, but Kit, you're hyper-sensitive to magic. I don't want you to get hurt, but I'll help you learn something else, okay?" He compromised with a smile.

Kit nodded and yawned. Sirius grinned at them and saw how sleepy they looked, he glanced at the wall to the kitchen clock and wasn't too surprised to see it was nearly 2 in the morning.

"Right, I think its time for bed. You two stay down here whilst I sort some rooms, I'm sorry I don't have any clothes you could borrow right now, but I'll get Dumbledore to sort you out something as soon as possible." The teens nodded obediently and made themselves comfortable whilst Sirius ran upstairs to make the bedrooms more habitable.

"How are you feeling?" Brax suddenly asked her out of the blue, her ears perked but she answered him all the same.

"Better after that potion, my wrist has about settled now too." Kit cradled her almost empty cup and seemed to think for a moment before sharing her concerns. "That wizard though, Dumbledore...his magic hurt me badly. I know he, what was it? Apparated me?" Brax briefly nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"His magic was very powerful, wasn't it?" Kit swallowed tightly and drained her mug.

"I've never felt magic so...so _raw_. It was agony, and we both know agony." Brax's giant hand tightened briefly on her shoulder in agreement and he gave her a solemn stare. There was a sudden shudder made its way down her spine and made her ears flatten.

"That we do. If his plans are harmless, he knows not to use magic on you." He left the unspoken concern that if his intentions weren't benign, Dumbledore could snuff them out in an instant, or make them suffer more than other wizards had before.

A sudden yell from upstairs cut across both of their depressing thoughts and made Kit walk towards the stairs.

"Kit?" Hesitantly she replied, yelling was slightly strange for a girl forced to be quiet all her life.

"...Yes, Sirius?" Said man appeared at the top of the stairs with a small frown on his face.

"Did you feel that?" Kit blinked up at him curiously, momentarily confused until Sun provided an answer.

' _I believe he used magic. You did feel it but it wasn't close enough to do any damage.'_ Kit thanked him and smiled up at the concerned wizard.

"You used magic, right? I thought I just shuddered, it was too far away to feel and I wouldn't have noticed you cast a spell if you hadn't asked." Sirius sagged in relief against the wall and grinned sheepishly.

"I'm glad, there was a Doxy nest in the wardrobe, I got rid of it but I kinda forgot to limit my magic. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and the rooms are set up guys so come up if you've finished your tea." Both teens walked up the stairs, Kit a little gingerly, but she was more steady than before.

The rooms smelled better already, the windows had been opened and the immediate dust and grime had been cleaned. Sirius pocketed his wand and gave them an apologetic smile.

"I know its not much, but I promise we'll sort out new bedding, get the rooms cleaned and get you both some more clothes to change into. I could do with some as well whilst we're at it." He grinned and pulled at his threadbare shirt that looked almost as old as him.

Brax smiled lightly and Kit beamed as she edged towards the window, dying to take a peek outside.

"This is just fine Sirius, I'm sure we can sort everything tomorrow. Thank you for being so kind." Almost out of ancient instinct she went to bow and caught herself. Sirius noticed the gesture and smiled at them softly.

"The way I see it, I think you kids deserve a bit of kindness. Right, lets call it a night, yeah? The bathroom is just next to the stairs and my room is at the other end of the hall. The rooms I haven't cleaned are locked anyway so I don't have to worry about you getting lost and meeting a Boggart. If you need anything then just knock on my door, okay?" They both nodded and received their first thoughtful goodnight from an adult.

Brax left Kit to sleep after making sure she'd be okay alone, she was very curious about the sounds outside and wanted to have her talk with Sun.

Cautiously, she stepped to the window and looked out, it was a warm summer night and the air carried the smell of the bustling city around her. She could smell nature, trees, grass and an underlying coating of pollen in the breeze. Looking out the window, she saw a park across the road and assumed that most of the nature smells came from there.

Kit leaned out of her window for a while, she watched cars zoom by, the odd person hurrying home late at night, the glow of shop advertisements and looked as far into the horizon as she could see. Being able to see far away was a new sensation to her, she was left a little breathless at how _open_ everything felt.

' _Its been a long time since I've seen the night sky, its such a shame you can't see the stars with all this light around. Are you okay, Vixen?'_ Sun asked her, feeling her quiet amazement at the view. It took a moment for her to shake herself out of her staring before she could answer.

"I'm brilliant, Sun. This is all...y'know?" She couldn't find the right words to describe how she felt, it was a mix of joy, fear and excitement. It was all so new to her that a few times she caught herself giggling and bouncing a little on her feet. She was excited for when she would be able to go outside herself.

She could feel Sun's gentle smile ghost over her and add to her elation.

' _I understand, take your time we can talk when you're ready._ ' It seemed Kit had forgotten she had planned to talk with Kit in her dreams, something he had called Mirage Manipulation. It was an old talent of Kitsune's that allowed them to walk in the dreams of others.

Sun had told her that it was a delicate art, it required absolute peace and no surprise disruptions. He could never attempt this magic at the facility, lest they be forced to use it or worse they were interrupted and Kit got hurt from being forcefully woken.

Kit surprised them both by diving into her soft bed and burying herself in the sheets.

"Alright, I'm ready!" Sun laughed mirthfully at her and she could feel his affection and amusement.

' _You have to fall asleep first. Come on, close your eyes and I'll help.'_ Sun didn't know any lullabies but would occasionally hum to her songs he no longer remembered the words to. Kit relished in his soothing voice and comfortably curled up as she tried to let herself drift off as fast as she could.

It proved surprisingly difficult, what with the extraordinary day she'd had and the storm of emotions she had felt. Eventually, her exhaustion caught up with her, she finally fell asleep and was immediately coated in a gentle golden glow.

To her surprise, Kit found herself standing, as her eyes came into focus she looked in fascination at the magical little paradise her mind had conjured.

She was on what appeared to be a mountain cliff, mostly encircled by beautiful trees raining pink petals with every breath of the wind but she could see there was a formidable drop beyond them. Before her was a tall red arch with a simple wind chime tied in the centre, beyond the arch against the mountain wall was an imposing cave that she swore she could feel something from.

"I wouldn't go in there if I was you." A lazy voice warned her from behind. Kit snapped out of her thoughts and realised she had been slowly walking to the cave. Twisting around she spotted the literal man of her dreams. Sun was draped lazily over a large slab of stone next to a beautiful pond that were brimming with graceful orange and white fish. He wasn't quite how Kit imagined, she had pictured him with the same red hair and mahogany eyes she had. Instead she was met with a tall man boasting chin length white hair and gold eyes, with cat-like slits that were watching her with surprising intensity. A long white kimono was hanging unceremoniously from his shoulders, and Kit could barely count the amount of long fluffy, white and gold tails that he was leaning against.

"Sun...?" She whispered and watched the slow but slightly feral smile stretch across his handsome face.

"Hello, Vixen." Kit found herself suddenly running to him, tackling him into a fierce hug.

"Sun!" She delightedly exclaimed as she buried her face into his chest. She could smell him, and hear the rustle of his clothes and the beating of his heart. A long fingered hand came to rest on her head and began smoothing her hair.

"It's nice to see you too," He suddenly felt her wet tears against the bare V neck of his chest. "I'm sorry Kit, is this too much?" He tried to separate to get a better look at her but she wouldn't budge from her sloth imitation as she clung to him.

"No, no! This is...I don't know, I'm just very choked up right now!" She sobbed into his chest. Sun relaxed and cradled her close, his long tails curling around her like a cocoon.

"I understand, you do what you have to, little Vixen." She stayed nestled against him for a long time as she revelled in being held by someone she had been dying to meet for as long as she could remember. Living with Sun was like having a best friend that had always been a pen pal and had talked her through her worst times and made the best of the sad little world she had been trapped in.

So Kit relished his warmth and the comfort he could finally give her after all those long years of hearing him as nothing but a disembodied voice. She took her time breathing in his presence in the tranquillity of the little world he had created for them.

"Is this the inside of my mind?" She finally asked him, much to his amusement.

"You wish, Vixen. No, this is the place I used to live. Some memories are stronger than others and when you miss it the most, home is something you never truly forget." Kit smothered the lost feeling of never having a place she wanted to call home.

Almost immediately, Sun felt her sadness and turned her round so her back was against his chest as he gestured to the beauty around him.

"This is your home too, one day we could find it again. We wouldn't have to stay there but we could make it somewhere to come back to." He carefully offered as he gently picked out the cherry blossom petals that had drifted into her hair. Kit was quiet as she studied her surroundings.

"This would be a beautiful home." She finally whispered with a soft smile. She leaned back to look at Sun and show him her happiness at his offer. He smiled back and tickled her nose with one of his tails making her swipe at it to his amusement.

"I'm happy you think so. Now, I believe we had a few things we wanted to talk about. Would you like to go first?" Kit blinked at him in confusion as she thought back to the reason he had agreed to manifest himself in the first place.

"Oh yeah," She climbed out of his lap and sat in front of him with her legs folded to the side and stared at him resolutely. "I want to find a way to get you your body back. You deserve your body back I love having so with me but its not far and its selfish too want you to stay. So I don't know how but I'll figure it out, we can learn magic, I'll go through more experiments if I have to-!" Sun cut her off with a finger to her lips.

"Let's not go that far, we just left TIX after all. I'm not sure what you want is possible...I was killed, Kit. I don't have a body to go back to and I don't think there's enough of my left to fill it if we separated." A lump formed in Kits throat as he gently broke her the news.

"Are you sure? Magic could help us." She protested feebly. Sun tightened his hold and buried his nose in her hair.

"I think wizards magic would kill me if it messed with my soul anymore. If anything It'd have to be Kitsune help only." Kit lowered her head sadly, hiding her sadness amongst his tails.

"So there's nothing I can do?" She whispered, not wanting to hear how she could do nothing for her best friend.

"I'm sorry, I don't think so. But its okay, I already said I'm happy where I am. Anyway I wanted to discuss something with you; magic." He moved her off his lap and settled back against the rock giving her another intense look with his sleepy eyes. "I don't think you're capable of learning Wizards magic. -Hear me out!" He cut across her immediate protests with a raised hand.

"Whilst we were at the facility there were two kinds of people, those who had the barest hint of magic from their creature and those that gained it all. Most of the former had their own magic and seemed to almost reject the magic of the beast they carried. Whereas the latter, that is to say you and I, seemed to practically merge as one. You can use my magic and unlike some of the other children you have never used accidental Wizards magic. You have always used your flames since the day you grew your second tail, you set your bed on fire if I recall correctly." Kit stuck her tongue out at him but smiled.

"I think I see where you're going with this, you're saying I only have your magic? I can never learn spells?" Sun gently flicked her forehead and made her lightly flinch.

"You make it sound like my magic isn't as good, Kitsune's are worshipped as deities in Japan, and for good reason; we are powerful beings." He stood as he finished his statement, his body began glowing an intense gold and his tails fanned as beautiful gilded flames burst from them, bigger than anything Kit had ever created. Kit could only look up in awe at the sheer magnitude of his power, she would have been running terrified if she didn't know Sun would never hurt her.

She had only blinked but when she opened her eyes Sun had vanished, she whipped her head round to look for where he could have possibly gone before she heard his smooth laughter behind her.

"Those Doctors could read your thoughts, though never mine, so I understand that you know practically nothing about your magic because I could never tell you. However, now that we are free from their control, it is high time you learned of your heritage and to fully control your power." Kit walked over to him, still awed by his magic and reached for his sleeve, she relished being as close to him as possible and he couldn't deny how good company felt.

"Will you teach me then, Sun? Can you even teach me? I'm not a real Kitsune, so I might not be able to do everything you can." Sun looked thoughtful as he pulled her against him again.

"That I can't answer, we can only cross these bridges as we come to them. We know you can use your fire and you grow tails faster than other Kitsune, but I have a feeling that's more to do with your life span being shorter than our kind. Mirage Manipulation is something I can do myself, though I'm sure I can guide you through the art. It's safer for you to enter the dreams of other than it is your own. There are a many things I can show you, but I cannot guarantee you will master them. Would you still like me to teach you?" Kit nodded vigorously as she beamed up at him from his chest.

"You know I've always wanted to learn more about you and our magic. Please teach me?" Sun creased his eyes in a smile and gently ruffled her hair.

"How can I say no?" Kit's smile widened and she let him tug her back into sitting, though she still climbed on his lap.

"Now, we don't have too much time, time in dreams is a funny thing. It's always faster though how fast you can't know until you wake up and you won't feel very rested when we talk like this either. Whilst you're here though, we can talk and I can tell you how to train and what your aiming for. I can demonstrate but if you tried to practise here you would drain your magic very fast, essentially I'm using your magic too and we both can't use it else we'll run out. Trust me, you do not want to run out of magic whilst using Mirage Manipulation, its very painful to be ripped out of dreams and there's a small chance you can get trapped until your magic returns." He grinned at Kit's obvious panic.

"I could get trapped inside someone's head?" She asked fearfully.

"Yes, its not pleasant, you lose control of the dream and become subject to the thoughts of the person whose mind you're in. Though leaving doesn't require much magic so you wouldn't have to survive long."

"Survive?!" She exclaimed as she studied his face, hoping he was joking.

"Yes, survive. I said you are subject to the whims of the dreamer. If they dream about something chasing them chances are you'll have to run too. But that brings me to the first thing I want you to practise." Kit's ears perked up and she tilted her head back to show him her determination.

"I'll do whatever I have to! What is it, Sun?" He grinned and rearranged her fidgety tails, so they stopped tickling his chin.

"I want you to practise running, both Foxes and Kitsune's are very fast and although we don't have much running room right now, I'm sure we can arrange something with Sirius. As much as you don't have to practise, I want you to be better prepared to defend yourself." She gave him a worried look and snuggled closer against his back.

"Why? Will I have to fight?" Sun sighed and rested his chin on her head between her fluffy red ears.

"I don't know, Vixen. You might have to, to protect yourself, but I sincerely hope you never have to fight again. Now back to running, once I feel like you have gotten fast enough, I shall show you a special technique; Swift. You saw me use it earlier, its a way of getting around quickly or dodging fast. It's the first magic you would have been taught as a cub, had you been raised a Kitsune, you usually wouldn't have been taught to use your fire until you had matured by about 200 years." This surprised Kit who looked at Sun guiltily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to learn it so soon." She received an affectionate tug to one of her ears and winced.

"Don't apologise for something that's out of your control I said usually wouldn't have been taught. Fire from a young age isn't too uncommon, usually if the parents had many tails when they conceived, the child is born with some extra 'fire-power' as it were. You are, of course, an unusual case, I can't judge you by the usual standards for Kitsune, so my guess is you learned it when you needed to. A Kitsune's age is usually defined by the number of tails. Looking at your tails alone, I'd say you were 300 or so, but you wouldn't look nearly as human as you do now, you have the human features of an 8 tails at least." Kit briefly compared herself to how many fox-like features she and Sun shared.

They both had fluffy ears perched on their head, and tails that matched their hair, but Sun looked more ethereal. Kit wasn't sure if it was the unusual clothes, the way he carried himself or if it's because he didn't have any of her human awkwardness. There were more differences than similarities though, Sun had long fingers with slightly pointed nails, his colouring was completely different and the sheer number of tails curled behind him was astounding.

"Sun...you don't look quite how I expected..." Kit started slowly unsure how to word her questions. Sun raised a delicate eyebrow and gave her a light smirk.

"What, not handsome enough for you?" Kit blushed and spluttered making Sun laugh heartily at her embarrassment. Kit shoved away his chest in irritation before turning her head away from him altogether in a huff. She felt arms snake around her and pull her back snugly against him. "You mean the different colour fur? I'm a nine tails, that's the pinnacle of our age, at approximately 900 our fur changes white and gold and our magic increases. As for the other little things, you HAVE a human body, I grew more human features as I aged. We're bound to be a little different, and if your core hadn't bonded with mine than you wouldn't look as close to a Kitsune as you do." Kit hummed thoughtfully and nodded slightly.

"Makes sense, I suppose. It'd be nice to be as graceful as you seem to be though!" She teased with a grin.

Sun looked momentarily offended and folded his arms and looked up snootily.

"I am not graceful, I am a manly, powerful being. And you walk like you have a stump for a leg." He added with mock snide at her. Kit gaped and shoved his shoulder playfully.

"Oh yeah? I'm not so sure you're all that manly. Your hair is prettier than mine, and your tails are so well groomed..." Kit didn't finish and Sun suddenly moved her very fast and she tasted mossy water as he dumped her in the pond using Swift.

"Gyah! Why did you do that!?" Kit yelled as she climbed out of the shallow pond in sopping wet clothes.

"You looked like you needed to cool off?" Kit glared in response but was quickly lifted and was again moved using Swift to the only tree in the area without pink petals. Instead there were small buds of a yellow-white and the leaves were long, green and waxy, the tree itself wasn't all that tall at 5 metres.

"This is a Sakaki tree, in my homeland, they are protected trees planted to distinguish holy places and used to purify the area. That's why is has that white band around it, Shinboku, that means this tree shouldn't be cut or else it will bring bad luck. For Kitsune's, sacred trees like this are a source of power." He reached up and gently plucked a leaf from the tree, before pulling her close again. Kit was suddenly wrapped in his tails and they were brushing soft flames along her back, and quickly drying her.

"Thanks, Sun." He smiled and tried smoothed the fur on her tails.

"No problem, Vixen. You can do this yourself you know, in winter Kitsune like to hide a tail around their waist and keep a constant flame under their clothes." Kit looked confused and stopped him fiddling with her hair.

"Wouldn't that burn their clothes though?" Sun seemed a little amused by her question as he sat them down again, leaning back comfortably against the tree.

"No, Kitsune's that embrace their fire quickly learn how to use it to warm and not just burn. You have only ever been taught that your fire is a weapon, thus you have only used it as such. I think alongside with running you should practise embracing your flames." Kit seemed a little uncertain, the damage the fire could do was fresh in her mind from the long day she had endured. She wasn't sure she could learn to live with her fire, but if Sun thought she had to she would do it.

Steadying her resolve she nodded and gave him a forced smile.

"Okay, I'll learn how to like my fire...any tips for that?" Sun hummed thoughtfully and rested his chin on his raised knee.

"You need to start seeing the good that fire can bring, it brings warmth and light in the darkness. Fire heats your food and can cleanse diseases, there are many good things about fire. When you embrace the good that fire can do, you'll be able to not only produce stronger flames but you'll able to choose what they affect. A test we had as cubs was to get a piece of fruit and cover it in moss, we then had to selectively burn the moss alone and make the fruit edible again, without letting it get hot. It was difficult but simple training, I believe that would be a good place for you to start." Kit saw the wisdom of his idea and agreed before she pushed down his leg and climbed into his lap again.

Sun snorted softly and arranged her tails once more so they were comfortable for both of them.

"Can't keep away from me?" He teased but pulled her closer all the same. Kit blushed lightly and curled in on herself a little.

"It's just...I've wanted to be able to see you for as long as I can remember. I have never felt as safe as I have with you, you have been there for everything. Can you blame me for wanting to be close to my best friend?" Sun smiled and made himself more comfortable against the tree and pulled her back so she was lying on top of him, he held up the leaf he had picked from the Sakaki tree above her head and twisted it in the sunlight.

Ever so gently he lowered the leaf to Kit's forehead and pressed two fingers against it to keep it in place. Kit looked up at him curiously with a question on her lips before he spoke.

"Henge." There was a gold glow that quickly covered Kit until she was a gold silhouette, then it suddenly vanished and left her in a long red haori kimono that was tied at the waist with a thick black obi. Kit jumped up and studied her clothes, she wasn't wearing any shoes just as Sun wasn't but her kimono seemed more feminine than his though they were in the same plain style.

"How did you...?" Kit muttered as she examined her first set of new clothes, she found them beautiful if a little constricting.

Sun smiled brightly at her happiness and watched her happily scamper about in her new garment.

"Henge is a common ability of a Kitsune, it's how a lot of us hide in plain sight. It can be done without the leaf given practise but sacred trees are a brilliant focus for our magic. I would highly recommend you ask Sirius if he can help you find one, because that'll be the next part of your training once your speed and fire is up to scratch." Kit sank back down in front of him, careful to keep her new clothes clean, and felt a little overwhelmed.

"You want me to learn a lot...do you really think I can, Sun?" He smiled at her lack of faith and grasped her hands gently.

"I know you can do it Kit, you are strong, you just don't know it yet." Kit briefly felt Sun's hand spasm in her own and she gave him a concerned look.

"Well, that means time's nearly up I'm afraid. Your magic isn't strong enough yet, and you haven't been given room to let it grow, so this is about as long as I can hold it." Kit suddenly seemed panicked and the herself into his lap, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"Not yet! I have so many more questions!" She argued and shook her head hard against his chest. Sun gently pried her off him and looked her in the eye.

"And you can ask them, tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that...I'm not going anywhere. So let's sleep Kit, you won't feel very rested tomorrow." He pulled her back against him and covered her in white tails as he lulled her into a surprisingly quick sleep.

"See you soon, Vixen."

 **I really enjoyed writing Kit and Sun's first face to face meeting, but just to clarify for anyone that might be wondering, they are not in love. Kit grew up never being able to see or touch her closest friend that she shared absolutely everything with and I feel that they'd be inseparable once they met. Kit's an affectionate ball of fluff anyway, she's craved friendly contact for many years.**

 **I also feel that Sirius, Brax and Kit come from a similar place. Locked up with constant torture, only Kit's is through experiments whilst Sirius was locked up with Dementors. I also feel he'd be very fragile from only just settling down after the end of PoA, and would also be very sympathetic to their problems. I hope that answers any questions, but if you have more please leave a review and I'm happy to answer most queries, within reason of course! Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So this chapter was a pain to finish and I can't say I'm happy with it. Here we see Kit and Brax getting used to their new life and Kit gets a little brave with her magic. I wanted to say thank you to** **mmmgirl13** **for your utterly darling review, totally made my day! If anyone has any questions, thoughts, notes, etc. please drop me a message I'll be happy to answer anything I can.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no profit from this fic. Everything you see has been borrowed, except Kit and the people of TIX.**

Chapter 7

Kit awoke with a start, she shot up straight and called out for Sun.

'... _What is it, Vixen?_ ' Came the sleepy reply. Kit swallowed her dry mouth and felt her exhaustion catch up with her as she flopped back down on the bed.

"Sorry, I just...last night happened, right? You were there?" Kit felt the mental nudge the was the equivalent of him playfully shoving her shoulder and smiled.

' _Of course I was, now let me sleep. Keeping up with your affection was exhausting._ ' He teased as Kit felt his consciousness drift away until his presence felt light.

Stretching out her limbs, Kit felt pretty exhausted too, she face planted her pillow and drifted back off for a few more hours, who knew dreaming all night would make her so tired?

* * *

When she next opened her eyes there was another voice outside the door. On automatic, Kit jumped out of bed and went to dress in a hurry for the Staff waiting for. She quickly realised she was still dressed and that she wasn't at the facility.

It took a long moment for her heart to stop stuttering but she took a calming breath and opened the door.

"Morning Kit, sorry to wake you but it's getting a bit late and I didn't want you to sleep through the whole day. How are you feeling?" Sirius looked like he had tried to give his beard a trim and fix his hair into something more manageable, though with little success.

Kit smiled warmly at her new friend and opened the door wider.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sleep so late. I was talking with Sun for quite a while, we had a lot to discuss." To Sirius, the subject of Sun made him a little wary, but she was used to that reaction from the Staff and hoped he would become comfortable with her invisible friend soon.

"Ah, I see. Well I went to the shop this morning and picked up some more food if you're hungry?" He avoided talking about the voice in her head but Kit didn't mind, she was grateful that he had gone to the trouble to get her food and smiled brightly at him.

"Thank you, yes I'm starving. Would it be alright if I washed up first?" Sirius looked like he had forgotten to offer and nodded, a touch embarrassed.

"Of course you can, you remember where the bathroom is right? I don't have many products but help yourself to anything there, I conjured the pair of you toothbrushes and some extra towels before you woke up. If there's anything you need, just let me know, no matter what it is." He offered kindly, grimly thinking of the dreaded _women' products_ and did his best not to shiver.

Kit was very grateful at the effort he had made for herself and Brax and thanked him graciously as she gestured to the bathroom across the hall from her, just above the stairs.

"There right? Thank you Sirius, I won't be long. Want me to meet you in the kitchen?" Sirius nodded and bid her farewell, telling her to yell if she needed anything before heading downstairs to start her breakfast.

Kit happily opened the bathroom door and spent a little time figuring out how the shower worked, it had been built using magic and made Kit's skin pinch a little as she used it. She only had a quick wash finding some scented soap and a handful of magical hair products for taming frizz, that she evenly distributed on her short hair and her tails. The longer she stayed in the shower the less the magic in the walls bothered her, it was light and was only being used on the pipes, not directly on her.

Soon she deemed herself clean and reached for a towel before she remembered something about her dream with Sun, how he had dried her with his tails.

As a rule, Sun thought it was impolite to interrupt her bathing, he said he closed his eyes in a way and stopped paying attention to her thoughts. However, her idea had caught his attention and she jumped lightly as his voice cut across her thoughts.

' _Don't even think about it Kit, you are holding cloth and you are standing on weird fluffy material. With your current feelings on fire, you're likely to burn the house down standing there.'_ Kit rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"You're the one that told me to stop seeing my fire as a weapon, now you're telling me not to practise?" Sun sighed hard.

' _I didn't say that, I said you're surrounded by flammable things. If you want to try this, get back in that bath, pull that curtain out of the way and get ready to turn on the shower if you need to._ ' She did as she was told and stood naked in the bath, making sure she wasn't near anything that would catch fire.

Bright red tails curled around her and she took a steadying breath, readying to snap her fingers to call her fire.

' _Stop! We are breaking that habit right now, you don't need to snap your fingers. The power is there inside you until you call on it. Just focus on the heat of fire, and try to almost rub yourself dry with your tails. It'll come to you.'_ Kit dropped her hand and closed her eyes. She did the breathing exercises that Sun had taught her to help her find focus. 7 in, hold 5, 7 out. Her damp tails wrapped themselves more snugly around her body, draping across her thigh, around her ribs and curled around her neck. Breathing deeply she thought of her fire, she let the feeling of its warmth consume her and tried to quell her fears. Thinking back to the way Sun's tails stroked across her and left that warm burst across her skin, helped somewhat.

The fire that she summoned was stronger than she needed, her eyes flew open and she readied her hand on the shower as she watched the lines of fire dance along her bare skin. Too soon, she cringed and stopped the fire with a panicked thought, her tails poised behind her nervously.

' _Well that wasn't a complete success but you know you can summon your fire without snapping now, you need to stop flinching away from it. You know you won't get burned._ ' Kit nodded glumly and stepped out of the bath, drying off her the remaining wet parts of her body.

"Sorry, I'll get better." She offered guiltily. She felt his smile whisper over her mind and found herself somewhat cheered that she finally had a face to put that smile to.

' _I know you will, these things take a while and I want you to be prepared but we don't have a deadline, take your time for now, Kit._ ' He gently told her and left her to dress and brush her teeth in peace. She found a bright red toothbrush with her name on it and smiled at Sirius' thoughtful nature as she finished up her morning routine.

Walking somewhere without an escort was such a little thing but to Kit it was pretty thrilling. She smothered the mocking thought telling her that joy over this was stupid, and made her way to the kitchen.

She found Sirius hovering over a stove and alternating between buttering toast and stirring a pot. She could smell something tangy in the air and sat down at the table patiently.

Sirius hadn't heard her approach, being so preoccupied and jumped when he turned round.

"Merlin, Kit! Scared the life out of me!" He finished with a laugh and began plating her food. Kit curiously peeked around him as she smiled back

"Sorry, I'll try to make more noise in the future." She offered amicably. Sirius shook his head and brought her a plate piled high with food along with some cutlery.

"Don't be silly, be as noisy or quiet as you like. Now today madam, we have for you a full English breakfast. You've got beans, buttered toast, hash browns, sausages, fried eggs, and bacon!" He pointed out each new food with a smile and fetched her a cup of tea whilst she tucked in.

The flavours dancing over Kits tongue were foreign and phenomenal, she had never had a meal quite like it and savoured every bite even though she wanted to dig in without abandon.

"I made you quite a lot there, so don't worry if you can't finish it all or if there's something you don't like." Sirius told her as he set down a cup of tea for them each and settled into the chair. "Is it all okay for you?"

Kit nodded enthusiastically around a mouthful of food and took the time to swallow before replying.

"It's delicious, thank you Sirius, you really didn't have to go to so much trouble." She thanked him graciously before taking a hearty swig of her tea. Sirius smiled at her happily and took a sip of his own before replying.

"Well I'm glad you like it, I was worried you might not like meat. Though Brax seems to be pretty fond of it..." Kit noticed her friend was absent and whipped her head around to see if he was just being silent in a corner.

"Where is Brax, anyway?" She asked after making sure he wasn't nearby, just being extremely quiet.

Sirius pointed at the ceiling.

"I left him in the library upstairs, he wanted to read up more about Abraxan's. Shall I take it you want to read up more on Kitsune's?" Kit nodded vigorously and managed another bite before she spoke.

"Yes please, I was going to ask if you could help me learn more." Sirius smiled and drank more tea.

"Not a problem, I was going to look up as much as I could about the creatures inside both your bodies. I didn't find much, but I did find a book about foreign magical creatures that you're in. We can go have a look at it when you're done, if you like?" Kit nodded again and quickly finished off her meal, eating every last bite to Sirius' surprise.

"Thanks again Sirius, that was really good! Can we go see the book now, please?" Sirius smiled at just how well-mannered this girl was and happily led her upstairs to the Library, it was next to the bathroom and Kit could feel the old magic in the walls making the room bigger than she knew it could be. There were tall bookcases filled to the brim with ancient tomes, it smelled musty and old. A prim green velvet sitting area was nestled in a corner by an unlit fireplace where Brax was sitting with his nose buried in a book.

"Morning Brax." Kit offered the lanky boy who finally tore his eyes away from his book.

"Morning Kit, did you sleep okay?" Already Kit could see how much easier communicating was for him, he was asking questions instead of just making statements. Freedom suited him.

"Great thanks, had a very long talk with Sun. He wants me to learn more about Kitsune's, I'm guessing that why you're here too?" Kit entered the tall room and took the seat opposite him as Sirius went to grab books.

"Yes. I wanted to learn more about myself, we were never told much." Kit agreed, as experiments they were treated like lab rats, and no one explained what they were doing to the rats.

She shook away the thought as Sirius dropped down a thick book open in front of her.

"Here we are, Kitsune's let me know if there's something you don't understand." Sirius left with a smile to pick up one of Brax's discarded book to read about Abraxan's now that he had finished. Kit thanked him and quickly scanned the page, she had always enjoyed reading and picked up on it quite quickly.

 _ ***Kitsune are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. They are a type of**_ _ **Yokai**_ _ **, or spiritual entity, and the word Kitsune often translates as**_ _ **Fox spirit**_ _ **. However, this does not mean that Kitsune are ghosts, nor that they are fundamentally different from regular foxes. Because the word**_ _ **spirit**_ _ **is used to reflect a state of knowledge or enlightenment, all long-lived foxes gain**_ _ **supernatural abilities**_ _ **.**_

 _ **There are two common classifications of Kitsune:**_

 _ **The**_ _ **Zenko**_ _ **(literally good foxes) are benevolent, celestial foxes associated with Inari; they are sometimes simply called Inari foxes**_

 ** _On the other hand, the_** ** _Yako_** ** _(literally field foxes, also called Nogitsune) tend to be mischievous or even malicious._**

 _ **Physically, Kitsune are noted for having as many as**_ _ **nine tails**_ _ **. Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox; in fact, some folk tales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived**_ _ **100 years**_ _ **. One, five, seven, and nine tails are the most common numbers in muggle folk stories. It is said that when a Kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur becomes white or gold.**_ _**These**_ _ **Kyūbi no Kitsune**_ _**(nine-tailed foxes) gain the abilities to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world. Other tales credit them with**_ _ **infinite wisdom (omniscience)**_ _ **. After reaching**_ _ **900 years**_ _ **of age and gaining its ninth tail, a Kitsune turns a golden colour, becoming a'**_ _ **Tenko**_ _**("heavenly fox"/"celestial fox"), the most powerful form of the Kitsune, and then ascends to the heavens.***_

Kit read through it as carefully as she tried to absorb as much as she could. That was all the information the book had. Kit closed the book and frowned hard, mentally calling for Sun she asked him his thoughts.

' _Well they aren't exactly wrong, but they aren't right either. Tenko Foxes are what we call a deceased 9 tails, they gain their godlike presence after death. Though they're right about the colour change and the two types of fox. I, of course, was a Zenko Fox, before you ask. The Yako are born lightening users, not fire. It's a shame there's nothing more, that's very little to go on. I can tell you about powers but you know a little of what I do already. I started telling you years ago when I began forgetting._ ' This was true, Sun had told her a lot, but in a way she wanted him to teach her about it not impart the knowledge just in case he forgot.

Kit knew a little of the culture and recalled hearing him mention about Zenko Foxes a long time ago. But he hadn't always explained what he was telling her, it was just so the information was stored. If she remembered correctly he had told her "I am a Zenko Fox." and that was all he had said on the matter, he never explained what that meant.

Kit quietly pointed out that he had mostly told her facts about himself not information about his kind, which he grudging agreed was true, but had hid a lot from her to stop her from possibly standing out at TIX. Kit had a feeling that he was scared that he had forgotten more than he knew and wanted to read this book to see if he was right. They were both a little disheartened at the lack of information so Kit turned to Sirius, who had taken up residence across from her.

"Are there any more books, Sirius?" The Animagus looked up from his book with a frown.

"I'm sorry Kit, I know it's not much but this isn't a library for knowledge of all things its just what my family put together and they had more of an interest in- in spells." Kit ignored his hesitation and nodded glumly.

"That's alright, thank you for finding this anyway. I did learn a little at least, and Sun filled in some blanks." Kit hesitated for a moment before she made a request. "I was wondering if you could help me with something, Sirius?" Immediately he put the book down and gave her his full attention.

"Of course, what can I do?" Kit struggled to meet his eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she really asked for anything.

"I wanted to ask...could you help me find somewhere to train? It doesn't have to be anytime soon, but I wanted to practise my magic. Would that be okay?" She asked him meekly, expecting a refusal for no real reason.

Sirius seemed thoughtful for a moment but slowly smiled.

"I think we could fix up the basement for you, its nothing but stone walls and floors so you won't be able to set it on fire easily. However, I haven't even considered going down there yet, so you'll have to let me clear it out first." Kit smiled brightly at him.

"That sounds perfect, I'll help you clear it out if you want?" Sirius looked alarmed and quickly held up his hands.

"No! It's not...it's not pleasant down there, so until I can get rid of everything, I don't want you anywhere near it." Brax's curiosity had gotten the better of him and he put his book down too and asked,

"What's down there?" Sirius appeared to be wrestling with himself and was choosing his words carefully.

"Well, I don't know... but there's a chance that there are dark creatures down there, it'd be a good breeding ground for them. Also, the potions lab is downstairs and no one's been near that store room in years so the potions and ingredients could be volatile." Brax retrieved his book and hid his face behind it, his interest abated.

"Sounds dangerous." He stated in a bored tone as he tuned back out much to Sirius' mirth.

Kit rolled her eyes in amusement and turned back to Sirius.

"Alright, I won't go down there if you're so worried. But when could I start training?" She asked nervously.

"Well, I don't have much planned for the next few days but there are a few rooms I want to get to before our guests arrive." Kit's ears twitched and she raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"Guests? Who?" She was a little nervous at the prospect of new people but if they were guests of Sirius then surely they couldn't be bad people? Sirius smoothed back his hair as he carefully watched her.

"Yeah, one is my cousin and the other my best friend. I'm sure you'll get along well, they're nice people Kit so don't look so worried. I got a letter from Dumbledore this morning, he asked them to drop by." Kit seemed a little hesitant but nodded.

"Right, sorry. Is there anything I can do before they come then?" Sirius grinned and propped his chin on his hand.

"You're so eager to help, its cute!" He cooed, teasing her and making her blush hotly.

"I-it's not like I have anything better to do!" She argued, crossing her arms, her tails curling around herself protectively.

Sirius enjoyed watching how her "fox parts" reacted with her moods, he was reminded of his own Animagus transformation and the canine qualities they both shared when he had a tail too.

"I'm only teasing you Kit, sure you could help out but that means we have to clean the slow way without magic." Kit shrugged her shoulders

"I don't mind that." Sirius dropped his head on the desk with a whine.

"But it takes foreveeeer! You sure you wouldn't be happier me just cleaning them myself?" Kit giggled and shrugged again.

"If you'd prefer, but that does mean I'm out of things to do for today." Sirius rubbed his beard in an exaggerated thinking pose and hmm'd loudly.

"Well...you could...read more? Though that sounds pretty dull." He cast Brax a glance and the white haired boy just raised a thick eyebrow in response. "Well to some people at least..." He muttered darkly with a small grin. Brax's reply was to turn the page.

"Well, do you have somewhere I could maybe run? Sun wanted me to practise running too..." She explained, still a little unsure about asking for things.

Sirius paused and looked thoughtful before a slow smile grew on his face and he turned back to Kit with enthusiasm in his eyes.

"How close does magic have to be to hurt you?" Kit was a little taken back by the question that came out of no where but answered dutifully.

"If magic is used near me, it pinches. I think it depends on the spell, but it only really hurts when its used on me. Kinda made me a little useless." She finished with a nervous laugh.

"So if I were to use an _Aguamenti_ , that's a water spell, near you would it do you any damage at all?" Kit shrugged and studied his concerned face, a little touched by his desire to not hurt her.

"We could test if you like? Why are you asking this anyway?" Sirius grinned and gestured to the window.

"We have a garden here, pretty big too, and I was considering clearing it out so I could go outside when I liked. It's massively over grown though, it'd take a long time and a lot of magic to tackle it all myself. I was thinking that maybe we could tackle it together, you burn everything and I'll make sure the fire stays contained...wait, I can put your fire out with water, right?" Kit thought back to training at the facility and remembered a wizard casting a similar spell on smouldering targets.

"I think I know the spell you mean, the Staff used it to put out my fires before. It didn't really hurt, just pinched a bit, passive magic isn't so bad. I'd be willing to give it a go if you want though?" She added, a little nervous about using, what she assumed, was a large amount of fire.

Sirius grinned and stood up suddenly, making Kit jump.

"Fantastic! Let's go give it a shot then! Brax, you gonna stay here and read?" The white haired boy looked up and nonchalantly asked if he could bring the book. Sirius agreed and they all made their way to the kitchen once more.

As they reached the back door, Sirius put out a hand to stop them going any further.

"Okay Kit, back up a bit, I've been hearing noises out the back and I may need to use magic depending on what's out there and I don't want to hurt you." Kit suddenly felt a little afraid but nodded, backing off and unconsciously readied her tails to shoot. Brax had his book tucked under his arm but stood ready to grapple or hit whatever came flying through the door.

Slowly reaching out Sirius turned the lock and grasped the handle, with his wand ready he took a deep breath and flung open the door. For a moment there was nothing, Kit blinked through the sunshine pouring through and felt her heart race. As Sirius stepped out onto the dirty path, there was a sudden high pitched squeal and thick vines shot out and made to grab Sirius. The Animagus shot off a spell and severed one of the vines making the rest slither back and the skin on the back of Kits neck prickle and itch.

"Oh joy, Venomous Tentacula." Sirius deadpanned as he waited for the next attack from the viscous plants. "Brax, I don't want you to touch them, the problems in the name; they're poisonous. Most just try to strangle you, but Mother preferred to cultivate the ones that shot spores, so please be careful. I don't have any antidote." He warned.

Brax took a cautious steps backwards and gave Kit a concerned look, worried that she was the one doing the fighting here and that his immense strength couldn't help. Kit gave him a confident smile and walked closer to Sirius, now that she felt how little the spell he used would hurt her, the proximity would worsen the effects but she knew she could take it as long as nothing hit her.

Sirius gave her a grin and sent out a low powered spell at the writhing vines, carefully watching Kit's reaction. She winced but it was nothing on her obvious pain from last night. Sirius wasn't happy that his magic could hurt her, but hoped that she'd acclimatise whilst living in a safe environment.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It's okay if you don't feel ready." Sirius gently asked her. Kit took steady breaths and resolutely stared into the garden like it was a battle field.

"I can do this." She said more to herself than to him.

' _Yes you can._ ' Sun confidently agreed and she graced him with a brief smile.

Sirius watched the red head with a small smile, though he hadn't known either of these kids 24 hours yet, he was proud of the steps they were taking away from the abuse they had suffered.

"Alright then, if you feel overcome or tired, just say so and we'll go back inside. Now, I'm gonna clear a path so you aren't too close to the house when you start, the only stuff out there is some ancient garden furniture and two glass greenhouses but I know for a fact they're both protected as are the borders, so go nuts! You can consider this your first bit of training, eh?" He shot her a beaming grin and shook his lanky hair out of his eyes. Kit couldn't help but smile back despite her nerves and watched as Sirius began his attack on the garden.

Peeking out, Kit was amazed by the amount of space, the garden stretched on beyond what she could see past the tall array of plants. There were vines everywhere, their roots covered in knee high dead grass, withered trees that the Venomous Tentacula had wrapped around and a giant picnic table that had been overturned, vines threaded through it. Weeds were abundant but Kit was still entranced at her first real garden.

Sirius was already a good ten or so feet from the door by the time Kit paid attention to him, only because his spells were biting at her exposed flesh. She took her first step outside and pulled her slightly dirty, grey jacket around her a little tighter, the ambient magic making her shudder in the warm summer sun. Kit grimaced and covered her sensitive, mahogany eyes. No matter how brightly lit the facility had been, nothing replaced real sunlight.

Kit would have loved to spend longer getting used to the outside world, but a commanding voice interrupted her enjoyment.

' _Kit, dodge! '_ Sun yelled over her blissful thoughts. Obeying on instinct, Kit leapt to the right and readied her tails, arms crossing protectively in front of her face. A vine whipped the ground she had been standing on, it had tried to sneak up behind her and take her by surprise.

Clearly annoyed it had missed its target and slammed itself into the ground, the Venomous Tentacula made a strange shrieking sound and tried to attack again. Kit dashed back further but realised she was standing in a nest of the vine that began to snake up her legs before she had even steadied herself.

' _Kit!_ ' Sun yelled in a warning tone. Panicking the red head tried to pull her leg free to little avail, ' _I swear if you don't use your fire right now I'm going to-_ ' He didn't get a chance to finish his berating, as soon as Kit heard fire her panic lessened and she snapped her fingers on instinct, tails pointing down at her ankles. Her cotton pants quickly caught aflame but the vines shrivelled and burned or slithered away.

Standing in a now barren patch of grass, Kit was surprised at how quickly everything around her caught fire before she realised her pants were still burning and she quickly smothered her calves with pats of her tails.

Now that she knew what to do, Kit confidently walked forward and stopped a safe distance from the Vines closest to her, she poised her tails and readied to fire.

' _Don't you dare snap your fingers, Vixen._ ' Kit dropped her hand awkwardly and rolled her eyes.

"It helps!" She argued as she took a step back from the vines that were starting to draw closer. Kit was sure that even Sirius could have heard Sun's heavy sigh.

' _I don't care, its not how its done and its a weakness you need to learn to avoid! Now focus, you're about to become lunch. You know what it feels like when you use your fire, just focus on that and it'll come to you, you did fine this morning._ ' Kit bit back her reply and nodded.

Thinking about the heat in her tails, the way the fire felt like she would lose the spark at any moment, how it filled her with a small thrill.

' _That's it, Kit. Embrace your flames...good. Now drag the magic through your tails, and summon fire._ ' Doing as she was told, she tentatively glanced behind her but she could already feel the burn at the tips of her tail and was met with two burning orbs hovering a few inches over her tails.

 _'Well it's only 2 tails, but its strong._ ' Sun complimented evenly _'Now aim at the base of those roots and fire._ ' He commanded with a mental gesture to the roots of the closest group of vines.

Kit hopped back a step and flicked her tails at the viscous plant. One ball of fire went a little wide but struck other vines all the same, and the second was a direct hit and the plant quickly burst into flames and withered into a charred mess of shrivelled vines. The adjacent vines screeched and tried to scuttle back from the flames though a few dried up as soon as Kit's fire touched them.

"Nicely done, that does a lot of damage! My _incendio's_ are only making it back off, I guess your fire's different. Are you ready to take the main stage?" Sirius asked with a grin as he dashed over to her.

Feeling more confident, Kit agreed and let Sirius carefully manoeuvrer her through the path he had cut through the garden, leading her towards a space in the centre he had carved out.

"I think I should back up, I fire proofed myself but I'd rather not get too close to your magic. If you need me to come save you, scream, got it?" Sirius half-joked. Kit nodded seriously as she watched the encircling plants begin their crawl towards her. With a pat on the head Sirius wished her luck and scampered back through the path that was quickly being overtaken once more. Kit took a deep breath and tried to take in the plants surrounding her, some towered over her but the more intimidating ones were the vines that were sliding along the floor in her peripheral vision, trying to catch her off guard.

' _Alright, Kit. You're going to embrace that fire alright? Make it big and hearty, give it all you've got._ ' He didn't need to add that she'd be poisoned or strangled to death if she couldn't. She spread her feet apart and tried to feel out her fire, she quashed her nervousness and tried to call it to her with more gusto than she had ever used before. It was almost like calling to a reluctant dog but the more enthusiasm she poured into her desires the more heat gathered in her tails.

With a strong mental pull, she dragged the magic through them and created 3 of the largest balls of fire she had ever made, her fire balls were usually the size of her fist but these were as big as dinner plates. She felt a little light headed but confidently turned to the plants one at a time, and flicked her tails in different directions, making them squeal and burn to cinders.

Kit couldn't help the grin that threatened to crack her face as she did it again, this time it felt easier, she summoned her fire and tossed it with more ease than before whirling round and aiming at the closest thing she saw. Somewhere along the way the sleeve of Kit's jacket caught fire and instead of putting it out she ripped it off and threw it behind her, leaving it to burn. Soon the garden was ablaze with her flames as the vines spread the fire to other plants and the dead trees that dotted the garden. The more she used it the more Kit was enthralled by her flames, she never realised how good it felt to use her fire by choice. Words could scarcely describe the mix of excitement and joy as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

As acrid smoke clouded out the sun, she barely heard Sirius casting spells at the fire and calling out to her.

" _Aguamenti!_ Kit! Are you alright?" Kit didn't realise she was panting heavily but managed to call back that she was fine. The smoke started to creep around her and Kit found herself coughing hard. Everything around her was either burning or ash, covering her mouth and her nose, she searched for any more vines but couldn't see any more past the smoke or fire. She decided to stop and ran back towards the house, before she could reach the door she was halted by an enormous burning tree that vines had grown around, it blocked the safest route back and Kit didn't want to stand around in the smoke of poisonous plants any longer.

' _It's still your fire Kit, remember that and walk through it._ ' Sun reminded her gently as she took a hesitant step forward.

There was a small gap between the tree and another giant bushel of burning Venomous Tentacula, taking the risk, Kit put her hand out towards the fire. The flames licked her open palm and they curled around her, it almost felt like a smouldering caress. When Kit's fire had touched her in the past, it usually felt uncomfortable, like she was stroking an angry snake. Now, through starting to accept her magic and spreading her flames wildly, the fire felt almost nice as it danced across her skin.

Kit smiled and shimmied through the burning gap between the tree and the dead plant towering over her. The flames almost tickled as they ran up her legs and encircled her back. Kit almost didn't want to leave but she noticed her clothes were quickly catching a flame and pushed past the last of the burning vines to freedom.

"Holy shit!" Almost as soon as Sirius came into view he doused her with a jet of water putting out her suddenly threadbare clothes and leaving her a dripping mess. Kit glared up at him through her dripping fringe and Sirius realised his mistake.

"Oh, uh, sorry?" He offered trying to smother a laugh. "Great job, by the way. I think you pretty much destroyed my garden." He complimented with a grin, Kit couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her adrenaline was still at a high and she felt elated for numerous reasons, some she could explain other she couldn't.

"You're welcome?" She offered uncertainly with a bright giggle. Sirius patted her head fondly and turned back to his blazing garden, coughing lightly he wafted smoke out of his face.

"Alright, I'll put this out and you go get a drink...you could really do with a change of clothes too but I'm sure my cousin was told to bring something. So if you can hold on another hour or so...?" He trailed off not really wanting to leave her standing around in filthy, burnt clothes that stunk of smoke.

Kit dragged her wet hair behind her ear and nodded.

"No problem, I can wait for a bit. I might get the place a little sooty though." She added with a grin. Sirius shrugged and said he didn't care as he guided her back indoors.

Brax was sitting at the kitchen table with his book open, but he had barely bothered reading. He was frustrated with himself for not being able to help Kit but at the same time was proud that she did it by herself. Kit studied his face and faintly saw the warring emotions as he looked her over.

"Have fun?" He asked and casually turned the page like he had been reading the whole time. Kit smiled and poured herself a glass of juice from the jug Sirius had left on the table in the morning. She enjoyed the fruity tang as she nodded enthusiastically.

"It was the best! Everything just went 'whoosh!' and caught fire super fast!...Are you alright?" Kit gushed, gesturing wildly with her hands. Brax stood up and grabbed the small dish towel on the side, he guided Kit to a chair and began to carefully dry any exposed skin. Kit was a little thrown by his help but smiled at him from under the towel and let him silently help dry her hair.

"...I was a little scared." He finally said after a few moments of silence. Kit raised an eyebrow and gave him a soft smile.

"That I'd get hurt?" Brax gave a brief nod and began to attempt drying her tail with the sopping towel. "It's alright Brax, I needed to do this. It really helped." She said thinking back to the thrill she felt from using her fire freely for the first time. Brax said nothing and put the soaked towel in the sink. He sighed and sat back down, pouring himself a glass of juice.

"You look happy." Was all he said on the matter before draining his drink.

Kit felt prickles of magic in the air but it was hardly a bother with the distance between her and the spells. She glanced out the back and saw Sirius hosing down the suddenly barren garden, he almost seemed to be enjoying himself and would occasionally stop to move to another smouldering bush and just take a moment to bask in the sunlight. The sight brought a soft smile to Kit's face, she understood that feeling too.

Sirius didn't take long putting out the fires and came back inside damp and dirty.

"Brax I have a job for you!" Brax looked up from the book he had gone back to reading and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Kit's killed the plants but they still have strong roots, would you mind helping me pull them?" Brax marked his place and nodded.

"What about the poison?" Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment before snapping his fingers.

"I've got some dragon skin gloves that you can use for that." He quickly dashed from the room and quickly bought with him a pair of thick green gloves. "I've been using them for cleaning, stops Doxy bites. They might be a little tight, but they should do the trick." Brax took the gloves and tried them on, they did look like they a little snug but he flexed his hands a few times and seemed satisfied.

"They fit okay? Good. C'mon, I'll show you what to do. Kit you relax for a moment, you've done the hardest part. Oh, here, I'll put on the radio for you." Sirius finished with a smile and gestured for Brax to come with him, Kit gave them both a small wave as they walked to the door. On the way, Sirius pointed his wand at a strange glass and gold object on the corner of the counter and Kit jumped as voices began talking out of nowhere. Sirius grinned at her confusion.

"It's the Wizarding Wireless Network, or WWN, they play music and read out the news, cover Quidditch games, do interviews...that sort of thing." Kit thanked him and they both left.

"... **and if you use a few drops of my Rejuicing and Regerminating potions on your Shrivelfig's, they're sure to be ready for harvest by the start of autumn. You can purchase the full set of my Reinvigorating Remedies today at The Apothecary, at a special offer this week for just 5 Galleons, 6 to those who shop by owl post. Don't miss out!**

 **Unfortunately that's all we have for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow where we'll be looking at why your Leaping Toadstool has lost its bounce and the correct way to put up your Umbrella Flower. Thanks for listening, that's Tootle-oo from Toots.** "

Kit was fascinated by the dim gold glow the radio made when it spoke, even if she wasn't particularly interested in fixing up plants, having just burned a garden to the ground. All the same, listening to the radio was an interesting experience for the sheltered girl.

Soon after they started playing music, much to Sun's displeasure.

' _What is the awful racket?_ ' Kit rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Apparently it's the Invisible Imps with their new hit, "those crazy, kooky, Kneazles." Not your thing, Sun?" She teased with a grin.

She felt his huff as he chose to ignore her. Kit's grin broadened and she stood and started attempting to awkwardly dance. Her tails gave her superior balance and also made for a fun thing to shake whilst she pranced around the kitchen. It didn't take Sun long to snap and he chuckled at her antics.

' _You are an awful dancer._ ' Kit smiled and gave him a mental poke.

"Oh, like you're any better! I bet you haven't danced a day in your life." Sun snorted delicately and showed Kit vague images of movements, in her mind. Almost instantly she felt the tug on her magic and halted her silly movements.

"What was that?" She asked, confused at where the images in her head came from. "You've never done that before."

' _I thought I'd try experimenting a little with what I can do in here, now that we don't have to worry about any magic we use being studied to death, I wanted to try an old method of communication. It's only used by cubs when they're too young and fox-like to speak aloud, you show other Kitsune images in their mind through your magic. It only drains magic for as long as it's being used, but I thought that maybe I could use it to show you demonstrations for your training?_ ' Kit clapped her hands together and nodded enthusiastically.

"That's brilliant, Sun! Show me that last one again?" Sun obliged and shared an image he remembered of seeing dancing. Kit tried to follow the movements, and though they lacked grace and fluidity, she was happy to try.

Carefully using a little of her magic, Sun continued to share with her movements and different pictures. Though it was draining on her already low reserves, Kit was a quick study and devoured what he shared with her, dancing around the kitchen joyfully.

The sounds of the radio and the blood rushing to Kit's ears is probably what stopped her from hearing the loud crack and arrival of a new face.

A rugged brunette that looked like he'd seen better days, walked into the kitchen and was momentarily surprised at the dancing, singed, fox girl. Dumbledore had told both Remus and Tonks what to expect but it was still a little shocking to see someone with 3 fox tails protruding from their spine with fluffy red ears to boot, and know that this was what she was supposed to look like. The fact that she seemed to be doing some sort of traditional dance didn't help the strangeness.

Kit felt eyes on her back and spun round in slight panic. As soon as she met the face of the unfamiliar man, she dropped her raised arms, tails drooping to the floor and seemed to practically curl in on herself.

"Oh...hel-hello..." The man smiled warmly and made to walk over and introduce himself, but as soon as he stepped closer his unique sent hit her mildly sensitive nose.

Almost immediately her tails tensed and pointed towards the stranger over her shoulder, his face started to look alarmed and he held up his hands, quashing the instant reaction to reach for his wand. Dumbledore had warned them about excessive magic use around her.

"Hey, now! Don't be alarmed, I'm a friend of Sirius. My name's Remus Lupin, you're Kit right?" He tried amicably but Kit barely heard him over Sun's feral screams.

' _You're in danger! Get out of here, now!_ '

 **The exert on Kitsune's was taken from Wikipedia with some very faint editing so it fits here, the WWN broadcast is a mimicry of something that did air in canon, I just made up the band. So Kit got a little wild, Brax got a little sulky and Remus looks like he might get a little singed! Good times, ahoy!**

 **Thank for reading!**


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